A New Beginning
by indiabrittany
Summary: After a summer studying abroad, Olive returns to Domino City. She and her friends are faced with new challenges and more secrets. Sequel to "The New Girl".
1. Desert Freedom

Chapter One

_Dear Olive,_

_I keep telling Joey to write but he's too lazy. Anyway, he says to tell you hi and that he hopes you're having a good time. We've had a really good summer, although it would be a whole lot better with you here. Bakura and I have both been working at your mom's clothing store. She misses you a lot. Every time someone comes into the store, she shows them pictures and talks all about you. She's really proud of you, but I know she can't wait for you to come home. Yugi and Joey have been working at the game shop and Tristan has an internship downtown. Of course, all the boys are busy playing duel monsters every chance that they get. About a month ago, Yugi and Joey ended up going into a virtual reality system that Kaiba developed. They went with Mokuba and Mai was there too. It was scary, but everything's okay now. Anyway, I just wanted to write and see how you were doing. I included a picture as well! You get home in a couple of weeks, but I can't wait to see you! _

_Love, Tea_

I smiled as I read the letter and then pulled out a picture. It was a photo of Tea, Bakura, and my mom in the little clothing store that my mother owned. I propped the pictures up on the small side table next to my cot. For a second I stared at it and then I stood up and went outside to eat dinner. I was wearing khaki shorts that barely covered the top of my thighs and a white button up short sleeved shirt. The material was cooler in the midday heat than wearing a cotton shirt.

"Olive, you should be wearing shoes," one of the other kids scolded me.

I shrugged. "I hate shoes," I said.

"Well, you won't hate them when you step on a snake or a scorpion," the kid shot back at me.

I raised my eyebrows. "Haven't you heard? Being the coolest person alive, snake and scorpion venom doesn't affect me," I said.

The kid rolled her eyes and walked away.

I got my dinner, a water bottle, and a beer and sat down to eat.

This summer had been unlike any other. The day after I'd gotten back from a duel monsters tournament in a place called Duelist Kingdom, I'd let for Italy. I had been accepted to a studying abroad program for students. I was a part of a group of ten students form all over the world who were interested in archaeology, anthropology, ancient history, or all of the above. Our group had spent a week in Italy eating rich food and listening to lectures in museums. The next week in Greece, we'd still listened to lectures. At night, I'd gone swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. After our week in Greece, it was onto Egypt. For the last two months, that was where we'd been.

I had two weeks left before I flew home and it was nearly impossible to imagine being away from here. The class was all about studying ancient Egyptian culture and comparing it to the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. We'd gone to several museums and spoke to many experts. We'd sat in on lectures and studied artifacts. We'd also been taught how to read and write ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. For about three weeks, we did desk work. After that, we'd gone out into the desert on an archaeological dig with some professionals. There were the ten of us, our teacher, and a group of seven students from Egypt who were in their own separate program.

Despite the sand, the heat, the long days, and the uncomfortable cots, I was having the time of my life. Everyday we worked hard digging in the sand and cleaning off artifacts as gently as possible. We were unearthing a chamber that was buried in the sand. So far we had one small room and a hallway. Every night, I ate like I'd been starved and drank water and beer that was warm. During any free time, we played soccer, kickball, football, and danced. I ended every day caked in sand and dirt. My hair was almost always dirty and twisted into a bun on top of my head. My skin had become a dark tan color from my long hours in the sun. If I didn't moisturize consistently every day, my skin would get flaky and itchy. But I loved every second of it. I had notebooks filled with recollections of my summer, notes, and my studies. I had a box filled with pictures and a duffle bag filled with souvenirs from Italy, Greece, and, most of all, Egypt.

That night, after I finished my dinner and almost everyone had gone to bed, I stood up and stretched. The only people left were sitting at the table away from the flames, writing. I pulled my iPod out of my pocket, put my headphones in my ears, and turned on my music. Letting my hair down, I turned up the music and, beer in hand, began to dance around the fire. I breathed in the night air and laughed as I turned and spun and twisted. I felt so free.

Opening my eyes, I saw him standing on the other side of the fire, eyes on me and a smirk on his face. He raised his own beer in a mock toast. I smiled and repeated the gesture. I'd noticed him before when we were working in the museums, but we'd never talked. He worked on the excavation in a different group than I did, but we'd each caught the other staring from time to time.

I kept dancing when he walked around the fire and caught me in his arms.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, smiling. He was very tanned and toned. His eyes were a mysterious and beautiful pale violet color. His hair was a very light shade of blonde, lighter even because of our days spent in the sun. His arms around me were strong.

"Hey yourself," I replied. "What do they call you, Blondie?"

He smiled. "You can call me whatever you want," he said.

"Can you dance?" I asked, breathlessly as he began to match my movements.

"There is not a person in the world who can't dance, kid," he said.

"_Do_ you dance?"

"Every chance I get," he murmured.

"You're here with the Egyptian students, right?" I asked.

He nodded as we continued to dance. "Yes," he said. "Where are you from?"

"I've lived in Japan for the last year," I said. "Before that, I lived in California."

"I hear California girls are unlike any others," he said.

I put my arms around his neck and leaned my head back. With a smile, I tossed my hair forward. Pieces of it fell over my face and I turned and pressed my back against his chest, guiding his hands to my hips as I swung them from side to side. "I don't know about that," I said. "How about you tell me?"

He took my hand and spun me around. Still holding my hand, he began to walk away, leading me with him. I wasn't sure if it was the beer or the fact that I was more drunk off life than alcohol, but my heart was pounding with anticipation. Checking to see that no one was following us, he ducked behind a tent, pulling me with him. Laughing, we ran across the sand and ducked under the ropes surrounding the expedition site. He took me down the short flight of stairs that led into the underground chamber.

Talking like a museum curator, he began to show me all the things that his group had been working on. When we reached the hallway, he pulled me around the corner and pushed me roughly against the wall. Staring into his eyes, I took a deep, excited breath. I loved this. There were no consequences here. I couldn't be grounded and there nothing I could do that would affect any of my friends or family.

He pressed his body against mine and I pressed back, trying to pull him closer. His hands were on my hips, his thumbs on the edge of my shorts. He looked down at me, his lips hovering near mine. Then he slipped his hands under my thighs and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and leaned back against the wall. He moved my hands above my head and held them there with one hand. I felt jolt of excitement go through my body. Grinning at me, he kissed my neck. I let out a small moan of pleasure.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered in my ear.

"And you are sexy as hell," I whispered back.

With one hand, he unbuttoned my shirt and slipped his hand inside my shirt. My skin erupted in goose bumps.

"Cold?" he asked me, smirking.

I shook my head.

His hand slid around behind my back and he had started to undo my bra when we heard footsteps and saw a flashlight. Smiling and shrugging apologetically, he set me back on my feet and took my hand. We raced around another corner and crouched down in the dark. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing.


	2. Home Sweet Home

Chapter Two

_Dear Olive, _

_ Hey! How are you doing? I don't have a lot to say, but I wanted to write to you one last time before you come home. There's not a lot going on here, which I'm sort of grateful for. After all that happened at Duelist Kingdom, it's sort of nice to relax. Kaiba's been developing a new technology that transports you to a virtual world. We sort of got to experience it, but that's another long story. Other than that, we haven't heard from him. We do see Mokuba from time to time though. Tea has dance every single day. I swear, when she's not dancing, she's at work. Bakura is working and hasn't been around much. It'll be nice to get back to school where we can all hang out with each other. Everyone misses you. Can't wait to see you, Olive!_

_Sincerely, Yugi_

_Dear Olive,_

_ Tea keeps bugging me to write to you, so what's up, Reynolds?_

_Joey_

_ P.S. Tristan says hi._

_Olive, _

_ I haven't seen you in so long! I still can't believe you didn't call me before you left. But whatever. I guess I can forgive you. I don't have a lot to say, but Tea said you were coming home in a couple weeks. We miss you. _

_Best wishes, Bakura_

_Dear Olive,_

_ I can't wait to see you! You have no idea how boring life has been working here at Kaiba Land without my favorite Olive ever dropping by to say hi to me. My brother will never admit it either, and I promise he won't write to you, but he misses you. He told me not to write that, but I'm going to anyway. Well, I can't wait for you to get home! I hope you're having a good time. Send pictures!_

_Love, Mokuba_

_Hi Baby!_

_ Oh, Olive, I miss you sooooo much! I can't wait to see you! I had something else to tell you, but I can't remember what it was. _

_Love, Mom_

When I finished reading the letters, I looked through the pictures. There was a picture of my mom at the store. She was standing behind the front counter, grinning and making the peace sign with her fingers. Her long blonde hair was done in tight ringlets that fell to her waist. Her dark green eyes, identical to mine, sparkled. My mother was an eternal youth – carefree, fun, irresponsible, and all over the place.

There were two pictures from Mokuba. In one picture, Mokuba was standing in front of the huge blue eyes white dragon statue at Kaiba land. His hands were on his hips and he was grinning at the camera. The second picture was of his older brother, Seto Kaiba, my ex boyfriend who I had failed to inform of my summer vacation. He was holding out his hand, trying to block Mokuba from taking a picture of him. I laughed at that.

Joey and Bakura hadn't sent any pictures, but in Yugi's envelope, there were three pictures. The first was of Tristan and Joey with their arms around Tea's shoulders. They were all smiling. The second was a picture of Tea posing in an outfit from _Reynolds_ and the third was of Joey and Yugi playing duel monsters.

The plane taking me back to Japan left the following morning with a layover in Paris and a second layover in Seoul. Going home was still so far from my mind. Going back to a life with real responsibility, having to do things that I had to do, rather than the things I wanted to do, seemed impossible. I felt like I had spent the summer in a different reality and I wasn't ready to go back to my home.

"What are you looking at, kid?" someone asked.

I looked up. "Hey, Blondie," I said, smiling.

He was standing just inside the opening of the tent, watching me. His arms were folded across his chest and there was an arrogant smile on his face.

"I got some letters and pictures from home," I said. "You want to see?"

"Sure," he said, walking over to the cot and sitting next to me. "You just about ready to go home?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yea," I said. "I'm all packed. I'm just waiting for the bus to get here and take me to the airport, so I thought I'd read some letters from home. I miss my family and friends, but I'm really going to miss being here. These have been some of the best months of my life." I grinned. "Particularly these last couple of weeks, wouldn't you say?"

He smiled and took the pictures from me.

"This is my mom at the store she owns," I said. "This one I got a couple weeks ago. It's my mom with my friends Tea and Bakura at the store. This is Mokuba and Seto Kaiba. I dated Seto for a while, but we don't talk much anymore. Mokuba's sort of like a little brother, though. This is a picture of Tristan, Tea, and Joey and that one is Joey and my friend Yugi playing duel monsters."

"Do you play duel monsters?" he asked me.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I have a deck, but I'm no good. I actually brought my cards here with me but they went missing. I must have left them somewhere on accident."

He studied the picture of Yugi. "He's a duel monsters champion, no?" he asked.

I nodded. "He beat Maximillion Pegasus in the Duelist Kingdom tournament."

He frowned. "I didn't realize you two were friends," he said.

I nodded. "Yea. We go to school together," I said.

"That's cool," he said, handing me back the picture. "When does the bus get here?"

"It should be here in a few minutes," I said. "So, anytime now."

He took me by the shoulders and leaned back on my pillows, pulling me with him so that I was lying on top of him. "That's too bad. I'm gonna miss hanging out with you, kid. You gonna try and keep in touch?"

"Are you going to leave me a name and address?" I asked.

He smiled. "We'll see," he said. "Are _you _going to leave _me_ a name and address?"

I smiled too. "We'll see," I repeated.

"I got you something," he said, reaching into his pocket and handing me a box.

I opened it. Inside, lying on dark green silk, was a gold anklet with tiny ankh shaped charms hanging off of it. "It's beautiful," I said. "Thank you. I didn't get you anything."

"That's okay," he said. He kissed me, passionately, on the lips and I kissed him back.

I heard the bus pull up loudly outside and I broke away from him. I stood up and grabbed my suitcase. I threw my duffle bag over my left shoulder and put the letters and pictures in my backpack. I held the box with the anklet in my right hand. My friend didn't get off the bed, but I didn't care. He was gorgeous, there was no denying it. If I could, I would have spent years here with him, without a care in the world. The fact was, it had been an irresponsible fling and now that the summer was over, I had a life to get back to.

At the tent opening, I turned and blew him a kiss.

"Nice knowing you, Blondie," I said.

"You too, kid," he said, smiling.

I turned and left.

I slept on all three planes. The past few months had worn me out, but I would have done it all again in a heartbeat. In fact, I would have turned around and gone right back if I could have. As we pulled into the airport in Japan, I began to get a little bit excited about seeing my mom and my friends. I was even more excited about being able to take a shower. I got off the plane and went through the different lines I had to get through. When I got down the stairs and made my way to baggage, I stopped in my tracks and laughed out loud.

My mom, Yugi, Joey, Tea, Tristan, Bakura, and Mokuba were standing next to baggage claim calling my name and waving. They already hand my purple suitcase and duffle bag with them. Joey and Tristan were holding up a banner that I was sure Tea had made. The writing was neat and cute and covered in designs. It said, "Welcome Home, Olive!"

"You guys!" I said, walking towards them. They all hugged me. "I look like shit, guys. You should have bombarded me _after_ I showered."

They laughed. "You never looked better," said Tristan.

I laughed. "Is that an insult?" I asked.

"Olive, your skin is so tan!" said Tea.

"Can you even tell?" I asked. "I'm covered in dirt. I can't wait to show you guys all my pictures and the stuff I brought you."

"Your hair is so long, baby," said my mom. "Didn't you trim it at all?"

"There are no salons in the desert, Mom," I said.

"We're going out to dinner tonight," said Mokuba. "We already have reservations."

"Okay, well you better take me home to shower first," I complained.

They laughed and agreed and we climbed in the car. In a way it was funny. Almost a year ago, I'd arrived at this same airport totally alone and totally bitter that my mom had forced me to move so far away. Now I was here being met by a whole bunch of friends with a smile on my face.


	3. Duel: Joey vs Duke

Chapter Three

After showering at home, I changed into a pair of nice jeans and a t-shirt. I climbed into the car with my mom and talked the whole way to the restaurant. Once at the restaurant, we sat down. Everyone else was already there and Yugi's grandfather had joined us. We all sat and ate. Everyone asked me a million questions, but I had fun answering them. While we waited on dessert, I passed around my pictures.

"All cleaned up and you're still so tan!" said Tea.

"Aww, shucks," I said in an over exaggerated tone. "Thanks, Tea. I _have_ been out in the hot desert sun for a couple months. It's been fun."

We talked for thirty minutes before Mokuba said he had to leave. "Can you walk me out?" he asked me.

"Sure thing," I said, sliding my chair back and standing up. "Be right back," I told everyone else. "Where's the car at?" I asked, Mokuba, walking through the doors.

I almost ran right into someone.

"Watch where you're going, asshole," I snapped.

"Olive?" he asked, grabbing my shoulders to help me regain my balance.

I looked up. "Seto? I was just…" I turned and pointed at Mokuba. "I was walking him to the car. I didn't know you were coming in to get him."

"I didn't realize you were home," he said. "But then, I suppose I don't deserve a call, do I?" he added, with a sneer.

"Ouch," I said. "Those words were severely unkind."

"Come on, Mokuba," said Kaiba. "Let's go." He turned and left.

"Nice seeing you too," I called after him. "Hey, nice ass, Mister Kaiba," I added, after thinking quickly of what I could say to annoy him. Without waiting to see his reaction, I turned and went back in the restaurant.

The next morning, I got dressed in my school uniform for the first time in months. The pleated navy skirt and pink jacket were a little loose on me, but I wasn't too surprised. During any time that I wasn't working during the summer, or hanging out with Blondie, I was playing soccer, football, or kickball in the sand with all the other students. At night, I had danced around the fire or in my tent to music that I always played obnoxiously loudly. All in all, I'd gotten a lot of exercise and had lost some weight. I was in good shape. I put my books in my backpack and had just grabbed a bagel when the doorbell rang.

I grabbed a second bagel and opened the door.

"Hey!" said Tea. "Ready for school?"

"Ready for school?" I exclaimed. "Why, Tea, I have never been more ready for anything in my entire life!" I laughed. I had never been a morning person until this past summer when I had to learn to be. Now that it was a habit, I loved getting up in the morning. I held out the second bagel. "Bagel?" I offered.

"Sure," said Tea, taking it. "Thanks."

The two of us walked down the street to the game shop that Yugi's grandpa owned. Yugi and his grandfather lived on the top floor. As we approached the game shop, we saw Yugi's grandfather sweeping out front.

"I work hard my whole life and then this happens?" he was muttering to himself.

"Grandpa!" we heard Yugi say, as he walked out the front door. "I'm gonna be late for school. I gotta go." He took in the sight of his grandfather sweeping furiously and muttering and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Good morning, Yugi!" said Tea, as we arrived in front of the game shop.

"Hey, guys," said Yugi.

"Good morning, Mister Muto," I said to Yugi's grandfather.

He let out one bitter, "Ha!" and said, "Good for _you_, maybe."

"What's bugging your grandfather?" asked Tea. "I've never seen him like this before."

"Is he sick?" I asked.

"I don't think so," Yugi whispered. "I'm actually kind of worried…"

"Okay, okay, I'm going to tell you!" Yugi's grandpa interrupted loudly. "I've endured many things in my life. I've been trapped in an ancient pyramid, stung by scorpions, attacked by Tibetan wolves, but nothing compares to this!" He pointed to a building in the distance. "Another game shop!"

"There's a new game shop?" Tea asked.

"They think they can drive me out of business selling their trendy new trash, but they have no respect for the gaming traditions or the true classics," said Yugi's grandpa. "They sell only the fads of today."

"I wonder if the owner's cute," I said.

"Wow!" Yugi exclaimed. "A new game shop? I better go check out the competition and see what we're up against…"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Yugi's grandfather yelled, making us all jump.

But, despite his order, we stopped by the game shop on the way to school.

"If your grandfather finds out we've been here, you're going to be grounded!" said Tea.

"He won't find out," I said.

"We're late for school," said Tea.

"What's the harm in a little window shopping?" asked Yugi.

A woman outside the store handed him a flyer. "Here," she said. "This is dungeon dice monsters."

"This looks like a pretty cool game," said Yugi. "I wonder how you play it…"

"No!" I screamed, pulling at my hair, dramatically. "Not more games!"

Tea grabbed both our arms and said, "Yugi! Olive! Come on let's go. You guys are gonna make me miss my first class. _Again_." She dragged us away. "If I get detention for this, you guys are gonna have to do my homework for a week."

"No bueno," I said. "Come on, Yugi. Let's hurry."

At school, we told Tristan and Joey about the new game shop.

"You just stopped my heart," said Joey, excitedly.

"It just opened," said Tea. "They've got all the latest and greatest games..."

"Unfortunately," I added.

"They were really trying to hype this new one..." Tea continued, ignoring me.

"Where's Bakura?" I asked, looking around.

"Something about a dice or dungeons," Tea finished.

"Are you saying they have that dungeon dice monsters?" asked Joey.

"How did you become a total expert?" asked Tristan.

"A little thing called a newspaper. Ever heard of it?" asked Joey.

"What?" I asked. "You've never read a newspaper in your life."

"I read it when I'm out delivering them okay?" said Joey.

"Why are you delivering newspapers?" asked Tea.

"Listen, I don't get one of them big fat allowances, okay? I need a little extra spending money. I have to save every penny of the award money for my sister's operation," said Joey.

"How is your sister doing?" asked Tristan.

"The doc says she's going to be good as new," said Joey.

"Wow," said Yugi. "That's awesome news."

Joey opened his mouth to talk when we were interrupted by the squealing of a group of girls. I cringed. They sounded like they were swooning over someone.

We got up and walked into the next classroom to see what was going on.

"Who is this guy?" asked Joey.

"Ladies, let's get this party started," said the guy, doing a trick with six dice and a cup.

When he finished the trick, all the girls exclaimed loudly.

"Do you guys know who that guy is over there?" Tristan asked two kids.

"Yea, that's Duke Devlin," one of the kids answered. "He owns that new game shop that just opened up."

"Well that answers my cute-owner question," I said, tilting my head a little to study him.

"If there's one thing I can't stand, its guys who show off like that," said Joey.

"I thought the one thing you couldn't stand was guys who are more popular with the ladies than you," I teased, which sent Joey into a rant about his talents. I laughed and listened to him argue with us for a minute. When I looked back over at the kid, he was watching us.

Duke Devlin had dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, except for the pieces that fell down around his face. He wore a black and red band on his head and his green eyes were lined in black. There was a dice earring in his left ear.

"I don't wish to intrude," he said, walking over to us, "but I couldn't help but hear that you dabble in the game of duel monsters." A crowd of girls followed him over.

"Dabble, smabble," said Joey. "If you knew the first thing about duel monsters than you would know about Bandit Keith, the intercontinental champion. The guy was unbeatable, and you should have seen me wipe the floor with him."

"Good thing Joey's not a show off," said Tea.

"I guess modesty is just another one of his many talents," Tristan added.

Ignoring Joey's bragging, Duke turned to Yugi. "What have we here?" he asked. "Are you Yugi Muto, champion of the duelist kingdom? I've heard a great deal about how you play the game…"

"Hey, dicey, what have you heard about me, Joey Wheeler?" asked Joey.

"Nothing at all," said Duke. "But why don't we play a game and you can show these lovely ladies just what you're made of."

"What game?" asked Joey.

Duke held up a cup and a dice. "This," he said. "A cup and a dice are all we need to play the game."

"Duke! Duke is so cute!" Three of the girls behind him began to cheer. They were cheerleaders at our school.

"Shut up," I said, leaning around Duke to glare at them.

"Olive, come on," one of the girls said, in a dumb voice. "Like, everybody wants Duke. Just because we, like, don't pretend we don't doesn't mean you don't have to, like, hate."

"Yea, Olive," said another girl with a higher-pitched voice. "Or are you just bitter because you haven't dated _anyone_ since Kaiba dumped you and you had to spend your summer digging up bones?"

"Excuse me, but I spent my summer unearthing an ancient Egyptian room, studying ancient history, exercising, and getting way more tan and fit than you morons will with your stupid pom-poms," I snapped. "Oh and for the record, Seto Kaiba asked me out before I left for the summer and I turned him down."

"Whatever," said the first girl, rolling her eyes.

Duke placed one dice on a desk and put a cup over it. "Using the power of my mind, I bet I can move the dice into my right hand without moving the cup," he said.

"Next you'll be telling me you can fly around the room," said Joey.

"You shouldn't underestimate me," said Duke. "Perhaps the dice are already gone. Why don't you just check for yourself?"

Joey lifted the cup and Duke picked up the dice with his right hand. "I moved the dice with my right hand," he said. "And I never ever touched the cup. That makes me the winner."

All the girls started cheering about how smart and clever and good looking Duke was.

"You're nothing but a dirty, rotten con artist!" Joey accused. "I challenge you to a real game. I challenge you to a game of duel monsters."

"As you wish," said Duke, smiling at me and twisting his hair around one finger. "But since this game is your specialty, I do have one very small condition. I'm afraid I don't have a deck of my own."

"Oh, hey, that's not fair, that's not right," Duke's fan club began to say.

"Not my problem," said Joey. "You're the one with the new card shop."

"My condition is that we open new packs of cards and make our own new decks," said Duke. "That's fair even by your standards."

"What's fair about that?" asked Yugi.

"Have some faith in me," said Joey. "I accept," he told Duke.

"Excellent," he said. "But playing a game for fun is so pointless. Let's make a little wager. If I win, you'll do whatever I ask for an entire week," said Duke.

"You got it, dicey boy," said Joey. "Because when I win you're gonna have to do whatever I want you to and I want you to close down your game shop."

"What?" all the girls began to cry. "Come on, Duke, you can do it! You can beat him!"

Joey began to argue with us about how he knew what he was doing. Duke said they would hold the match after school and that he had a dueling ring in his game shop. He invited all of us.

Yugi frowned, looking worried.

After school, we all met at the game shop. In the elevator, Joey picked all his new cards. While Joey talked to Yugi, I took out my phone and called Bakura, but he didn't answer. I frowned and sent him a text. I hadn't heard from him since I got home.

We reached the dueling arena and three girls from school were there in their cheerleading uniforms, cheering for Duke. One was a girl with light brown curly hair. The other was a blonde. She was the one who had talked to me in a dumb voice. The third was a short chubby girl who was wearing too much lipstick.

"Who invited these losers?" I asked, scathingly.

And my mom wondered why I had always had so few friends throughout my life.

"More like who invited _you_, Olive," the brunette snapped.

"Yea," said the blonde. "Like, what are you doing here? Don't you have some, like, ancient stones or something to dig up?"

They snickered.

"Wow you guys sure do know how to insult a girl. I'm mortified," I said. "Actually, Duke invited me." I looped my arm through his. "Isn't that right, Devlin?" I asked.

"OHMYGAWD she's touching him," the girls exclaimed. "How can she do that? Why is _Olive_ touching him? Why does he let her?"

Duke smiled. "I did invite her, ladies," he said. "So please play nice." He tilted my chin up to look me in the eye and said, "Am I beginning to grow on you then?"

I smiled and stepped away. "Yea right, you wish," I said. "I have a thing for blue eyes, which you don't have. Sorry."

"I have a thing for pretty girls who talk too much," said Duke.

"Well then Olive should really turn you on," said Tea, dragging me away from him. "_Why_ are you such a flirt?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "Because boys are fun to mess with," I said.

Duke announced that his game with Joey was going to be broadcast to the entire world. From there on out, it became a downward spiral that everyone, but Joey, seemed to be able to see. The three girls began to cheer loudly every second they got. I sighed and covered my ears.

"This is torture," I said. "_Why _am I here?"

"Out of support," said Tea.

"Hey, have you guys seen Bakura today?" I asked.

"I saw him at lunch for a minute," said Tristan, "but other than that, no."

Joey started out by attacking Duke's monster. He won and his monster absorbed the power of Duke's monster. Then Duke played a card in defensive mode and laid another card face down. Joey played a second card and attacked Duke's monster. Duke shrugged it off, even though he was losing life points fast. He grinned and played a trap card that destroyed Joey's monster as well.

"Don't get too cocky, Joey!" Tristan called.

"Yea, right," said Joey. "I've got this match in the bag. I could beat this stupid loser in my sleep."

"I don't know," I heard Yugi think. "I think Duke Devlin knows more about this game than he's letting on. I hope Joey doesn't blow it."

Yugi noticed me looking at him and asked, "Were you listening to my thoughts?"

"Not on purpose," I said.

"Remember how you could see who was going to win back at duelist kingdom?" asked Tristan. "Do you think you could do that now?"

"No offense to Joey, but I don't need to see the future to know that he's not going to win this one," I said.

Duke played a card face down and summoned a card that killed Joey's other monster.

"Concentrate!" Tea called to Joey.

Joey played a goblin attack force card and Duke's life points were reduced to fifty. The cheerleaders almost went into hysterics. They were practically crying.

"Shut the _hell _up!" I yelled at them. "I hate cheerleaders, you guys," I told Yugi, Tea, and Tristan. "I can't stand them."

"Jealous," the blonde girl called to me, sticking out her tongue.

I flipped her off.

Duke summoned another card and used a magic card to double his attack power. He used a second card to directly attack Joey's life points. In one move, Joey had lost.

Duke smiled smugly and the three girls began shouting new cheers.

Duke snapped his fingers and one of the girls walked over, holding a doggy costume.

"Put it on," she said.

"I hope that you're a man of your word," said Duke. "I'm looking forward to having an obedient _dog_ for the next week." He looked at me and Tea, "Although I wouldn't have minded getting one of you in the deal."

We both rolled our eyes and ignored him.

"Hey, knock it off, Devlin," said Yugi. "Just because you won doesn't mean you can put Joey down."

But because of his promise, Joey bravely donned the dog costume. Joey told us not to worry about him and as he spoke, Duke flicked a dice at him. It hit him in the forehead.

"Quiet you mutt!" he said, a mean snarl in his voice. "You do not speak unless your master commands you."

"Are you kidding me?" I asked.

Duke flicked another dice at him.

"Ouch!" said Joey.

"You're a dog now, Joey," said Duke. "You don't say 'ouch' you say 'woof, woof'."

"Yea," said the blonde cheerleader. "Woof, woof."

Tea grabbed my arm as I started forward, getting ready to hit the girl.

"Now put it on and bark for me," said Duke. "Bark, dog."

"Enough, man," said Tristan.

"You're an asshole," I said.

"I have to put a stop to this!" said Yugi. The millennium puzzle lit up and Yami stood before us. "Your cruelty has gone on long enough. I challenge you to a duel. When I have defeated you, you will declare Joey a free man."

"Excellent," said Duke. "But we will play my game – a game called dungeon dice monsters. When I am the winner, you will give the title 'King of Games' to me and you will swear on your grandfather's life never to play duel monsters again."

My mouth opened in shock.

"That is going too far," said Tea.

"Yea, you've got too much to lose, Yugi," said Tristan. "This is crazy."

"Yea, Yugi…" Joey began.

Duke flipped another dice at him, but Yami caught it.

"What's it gonna be, Yugi?" he taunted.

"I will accept your conditions. I will not let you destroy the dignity of a friend," said Yami. We will do battle in the game of your choice: dungeon dice monsters."


	4. Dungeon Dice: Yugi vs Duke

Chapter Four

"Well, I have to hand it to you guys," I said. "You always exceed my expectations. I came back from Egypt thinking how awesome it was going to be to _not_ battle arrogant jerks every other day and to be able to just relax."

Tristan laughed a little. "You should have known better," he joked.

"Yes I should have," I said.

Duke and Yami got up on the dueling platform and Duke pressed a button to change the field. It looked like a checkerboard where all the squares were the same colors. Yami had to select fifteen dice from the dice pool to use for the game. They were all different colors and designs. The dice were placed in a dice automator which mixed them up and gave Yami three dice per roll. He got to make his move depending on what he rolled. Each player had three heart points and when all three were destroyed, the other person won.

"Game on," said Duke, once he was finished explaining.

"What game on?" asked Tea. "Yugi just learned the rules."

"That's probably just how Duke likes it," said Tristan.

The three cheerleaders began to chant something. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, trying to tune them out. I couldn't stand girls like them.

"Thanks ladies, you're beautiful," said Duke.

The three girls cheered more loudly.

Duke made his first roll and explained to Yami what the different crest symbols on the dice meant. He dimensioned his dice. It rose up on the field and opened to reveal a monster.

"The monsters are inside the dice?" I asked.

"It looks like the dice themselves are part of the game too," said Tea.

"Very good observations, my little cheerleaders in waiting," said Duke.

Yami made his first roll and wasn't able to make a move.

As they played, Duke continued to talk about the game and the different rules.

"This isn't fair, Duke!" said Tristan.

"You should have told Yugi all the rules before you started," said Tea.

"You should start the game fresh," I added. "This is ridiculous."

"If it was someone else, maybe," said Duke. "But I'm sure the King of Games can handle this."

Duke summoned a second monster and it moved forward.

Yami frowned when his roll again resulted in nothing.

When it was Duke's turn, he summoned a third monster. He used a movement crest to make him walk forward.

Yami then rolled two summoning crests, but wasn't able to summon a monster because they were different levels.

Duke rolled a level four monster and Duke laughed. "I guess lady luck has the hots for Duke Devlin," he said. He smirked. "Just like everyone else."  
Yami, once again, was unable to do anything.

Duke summoned yet another monster.

Yami stared at the dice and then rolled. He grinned when he finally got a summon crest and was able to summon a monster. He moved his monster one space forward and attacked one of Duke's monsters.

"Boo!" said the cheerleaders.

"Yes!" I said, pumping my fist into the air.

"In your face," said Tea.

I smiled at her. "That's pretty tough words for, sweet little Tea," I said.

She just laughed.

"Congratulations on your first monster, Yugi," Duke taunted. He rolled his dice again and summoned another monster.

I let out a sigh.

Yami summoned another monster.

"Now you have two monsters of mine to contend with," said Yami.

"Not for long, Yugi," said Duke. He rolled his dice and rolled two magic crests. He moved his blast lizard monster and it attacked Yami's monster.

"Oh well, too bad," said Duke. "You worked so hard to summon that monster too."

When Yami rolled, he didn't get anything, but Duke was able to summon yet another monster. He moved his monsters in striking distance of Yugi's heart points.

"Go ahead, it's your roll," said Duke. "You have no hope of getting out of this now. I mean, I don't even think _I _would know what to do and I _invented _the game."

"_You're_ its inventor?" asked Yami, incredulously. "I knew you were its champion, but…"

"I'm both!" Duke shouted. "And everyone in the world should know it! I should be known as the second greatest game creator in all the world by now, Yugi. But I'm not and it's all because of your cheating ways. That's the only way you could have beat a great man like Pegasus. He has twice the skill you have. You ruined my life on that day, Yugi. The defeat that _you_ handed Pegasus changed _everything_ for me."

"But how?" asked Yami, confused.

"I dedicated my life to creating dungeon dice monsters. I spent all of my free time perfecting its game play and fine tuning its rules. When I was finished, it was clear that I had created something truly remarkable. I decided I had to send it to the only man who could possibly appreciate it: Pegasus. A couple of days passed but I didn't hear anything from that great game master until I got this crazy email," said Duke. "He said he'd read my proposal. I couldn't believe my eyes. He said he wanted to fly me out on his personal helicopter so we could discuss the game in person. The very next day I was brought to Pegasus's island, Duelist Kingdom. I could hardly believe it! All my hard work was paying off. I was gonna meet my idol, Maximillion Pegasus! When we met, Pegasus immediately challenged me to a game of dungeon dice monsters. I expected him to be good, but he was phenomenal. It was his first time playing the game and he completely overpowered me. _Me_. The guy who created it. I was amazed with his skills. He told me he enjoyed the game and asked me to be his partner. With that the deal was sealed. He told me he'd draw up the official contract after he finished hosting a dueling tournament he was hosting on his island; the tournament that _you_ were headed to, Yugi. And ever since _you_ beat him there, I haven't been able to contact him at all. Everything that I worked for was shattered that day and it's _all your fault_."

"You don't know what kind of man Pegasus was at all," Yami told him.

"He was a _great_ man!" Duke shouted. "Until you came along and broke his spirit with his dirty cheating ways. And now I'll get my revenge by breaking you!"

"I have never cheated at anything in my entire life," said Yami.

"Please! You expect me to believe that someone like _you_ could defeat a great game master like Maximillion Pegasus? You can't even hold your own in dungeon dice monsters," said Duke.

"Just listen to me, Devlin," said Yami. "Your hero-worship of Pegasus has blinded you to the truth."

"I can see perfectly," Duke shot back. "And what I see is a cheater who's about to be retired from duel monsters forever. Now roll, you fraud."

"I will roll and I will defeat you," Yami declared, confidently.

Yami rolled another summoning crest and brought a monster to the field. Duke didn't seem too worried. He rolled and got an attack crest and two movement crests. Then he used his monster to attack Yami's life points.

He was down one heart.

The cheerleaders went crazy and Duke laughed.

"Soon you'll be forced to retire from duel monsters in shame!" Duke declared. "Pegasus will be avenged and you'll be exposed as the sham that you are." He laughed.

"This guy really thinks Yugi cheated," said Tristan.

"Yugi shouldn't have to put up with this," Tea added.

"I can't wait til Yugi wins and gets Joey out of that dog suit," said Tristan.

"Me neither," I agreed. "It's pathetic of him to treat another person this way."

"Well, Duke's all about humiliating his opponent," said Tea. "Especially Yugi. Why else would he broadcast the game around the world?"

"He's sure on a vendetta," Tristan agreed.

"It's not fair," I said.

"He blames Yugi for everything," said Tea. "For his game not taking off and losing Pegasus as his business partner. It's wrong."

"And he doesn't know this, but he should be _grateful_ for losing Pegasus as a business partner. That is, if he wants to keep his mind. Or soul, to be more exact," I said, laughing a little. "I would consider him among the lucky."

"Yugi! Come on, buddy, you gotta win the match and get me out of this flea-bag costume before I go completely insane!" Joey called.

Yami rolled his dice and was able to use some magic crests to activate one of his monsters special abilities. It was a monster called Thunderball. The monster pulled in his arms, legs, and head, and rolled at two monsters, destroying them.

"Not bad, Yugi," said Duke, still smiling arrogantly. "But I wouldn't get too confident if I were you. After all, I _am_ the guy who invented the game."

"That's true, Duke. Just like Pegasus was the inventor of the duel monsters card game. Unfortunately for you, inventing a game doesn't mean you can't be beaten at it, Devlin" said Yami. "But perhaps my beating Pegasus was the exception to the rule. Perhaps you're better."

Duke smiled. "Well, thank you," he said. "Wait, you only beat Pegasus by cheating. Don't try and fool me."

"Duke, you're fooling yourself," said Yami.

"Yea right, cheat," Duke sneered, grabbing his next three dice. He saved his crests in his dice pool and then Yugi was able to summon a monster called the knight of twin swords.

"At least you've become skilled at conserving your crests," said Duke. "It's about time."

"Man, crest this, crest that," said Joey. "I'm totally lost."

"Guess it is true what they say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks," Duke taunted.

"Don't listen to him, Joey," I said.

Duke rolled the dice and summoned a monster called the battle ox. The ox moved a few squares and attacked Yami's knight of twin swords. The knight switched into defense mode and wasn't completely destroyed.

"Unbelievable," Duke muttered. Or did he think it? I wasn't sure. I didn't know if I could hear the thoughts of people who didn't possess a millennium item.

Yami promptly destroyed Duke's battle ox, but Duke didn't seem to care. Using his dungeon path, he'd cut Yami off. Yami wasn't able to build his dungeon path forward anymore. He was boxed in.

"What's going on here?" Tea asked.

"I'm not sure I understand it myself, Tea," said Tristan.

"The so-called King of Games over there is about to be forced into retirement," said Duke, smiling and twisting his hair around his finger.

Duke rolled and used a rare black dice to make what he called a warp vortex. Yami summoned a monster and, on Duke's next turn, he tried to summon the second vortex, but wasn't able to. Then Yami, but some stroke of luck, had a black dice. He placed the second vortex and his strike ninja jumped through and destroyed one of Duke's monsters.

"Yea!" Tea cheered.

"Good job, Yugi!" said Joey.

On his next move, Yami attacked Duke's heart points.

Duke was livid.

"No!" he cried out.

"One down!" Tea cheered.

Duke laughed, softly. "I'm sorry, Yugi, it's just been so long since someone's destroyed one of my heart points. You should really give yourself a pat on the back because I guarantee you, it's not going to be happening again!" Duke rolled his dice and unlocked what he called his undefeatable monster, Orgoth the Relentless. He activated his special ability and then attacked Yami's ninja.

But instead of destroying the ninja like he should have, the ninja was still there when the smoke cleared. Yami had activated his special ability and he was safe.

Duke grimaced. His eye even twitched a little.

"My turn," said Yami. He attacked Duke's heart points again.

"Yes! Two down now!" Tristan cheered.

"I believe I am ahead now, Devlin," said Yami, calmly. He smiled a little.

Duke rolled his dice and his monster, Orgoth, attacked Yami's ninja. The ninja was destroyed.

"Oh, no!" Tea cried. "His ninja's been wiped out."

"You may have been on the victory trail, Yugi," said Duke, "but now you're at a dead end."

Yami moved a monster in between Duke's monsters and his heart points. He was frowning, unsure of what moves to make. Duke moved his monster to the warp vortex so that it could appear on Yami's side of the field, closer to his heart points.

"The end is near, Yugi," said Duke.

"I don't think so," said Yami. "Maybe you've forgotten, but I have one more heart point than you." Yami rolled his dice and used a movement crest to move all his monsters in front of his heart points.

"Coward," said Duke. He used Orgoth to destroy Yami's Thunderball monster. "Poor Yugi," he taunted. "You've played well for a first timer, I'll give you that much. But there's no way a hack like you could have beat a man like Pegasus. I will expose you for the fraud you are."

"Don't write that victory speech just yet, Devlin," said Yami. "This game's not over." He rolled his dice and used his mighty mage monster to attack Orgoth. Duke defended and then took his turn. His monster moved forward and used a magic crest to strengthen his mage.

"Even you should know it takes more than strength to win," said Yami. "Without strategy, power is just an empty threat?"

"Is that so?" asked Duke, attacking and destroying Yami's mighty mage.

"Oh no," I heard Yami think. "How do I get out of this? Poor Joey. I promised to get him out of that suit and now I'm going to let him down."

"Come on, Yugi! You can surrender to him!" Joey called.

"This dog just won't learn!" said the brunette cheerleader.

"Bad, bad dog," said the chubby girl.

"Get the muzzle," the blonde said.

"Muzzle yourselves!" Joey snapped. "I've got something to say here!"

"Good for you, Joey," I said.

"Don't let Duke rattle you, Yugi," Joey said. "You've been in tougher situations against better duelists than this guy and you've always turned it around. You even whipped Pegasus and he was as crooked as they come. You won the entire tournament at Duelist Kingdom, Yugi."

"Even so, this is different," said Yami.

"Come on! This is no time to be humble!" Joey argued with him. "You won the championship because you were the best gamer on the island. You were better than Weevil, better than Mako, better than Mai. You were even better than me. It was all because you believed in the heart of the cards, no matter who he was or how tough he seemed. Don't forget, you defeated the creator of duel monsters at his own game. You can beat this joker at his. Don't let this loser shake you. You're the King of Games, Yugi. So what if dungeon dice monsters has a few new rules? If you just trust in yourself you can still win. You taught me that, pal."

"Exactly!" I shouted.

"What he said," said Tristan.

"Joey's right," said Tea. "You've gotta keep the faith, Yugi."

"Inspiring speech, Joey," said Tristan.

Duke grimaced, shooting glares at all of us.

"You know, you're right, Joey," said Yami. "I can never forget what made me duel monsters champion in the first place – believing in the heart of the cards. Dungeon dice monsters is no different as long as I have the same faith in my dice that I had in my dueling deck. I can still win. So I'd advise you to keep an eye on your last heart point because I'm coming after it."

"Trust in your heart," I heard Yami think.

"Let's do this, partner," I heard Yugi said. To him.

Yami rolled his dice and moved his knight of twin swords forward to attack Orgoth the Relentless.

"You amateur!" Duke cried, using another of his monsters to shield Orgoth from the attack. "I'd say your turn is just about up, Yugi. In a few more rolls of the dice, your heart points are going to be history." He laughed. "Now you see why they call Orgoth 'the relentless'."

Orgoth attacked the knight and it was destroyed. Yami was left with no more monsters on the board.

"I won't quit no matter how hopeless is seems," said Yami. "That's not the way to get ahead in duel monsters or in life. You know a lot about this game, Duke, but you've got a lot to learn about the people you play. Maybe by the time this match is over you'll have learned more than just a new dungeon dice rule." Yami rolled the dice.

There were no moves that Yami could make.

Duke rolled and was pleased to see he had two more movement crests. He moved his monster and attacked the heart points. Yami was down to one.

"It's okay," said Tea. "You still have one heart point left."

"Finally, only one more turn and I'll avenge Pegasus's loss and show everyone what a phoney you are," said Duke.

"It's not over yet, Devlin," said Yami. "I can still summon a monster."

"Dream on," said Duke. "Sure, it sounds simple, but you have no room left to dimension the dice, Yugi."

"GO DUKE!" the cheerleaders cried.

"Millions of gaming fans all over the world are glued to the TV right now, waiting for me to show you up, Yugi," said Duke. "Now it the moment of truth."

"He's right," Yami thought. "It is the moment of truth, but I know there's still one monster that can help me win. I just have to believe and call on it right now."

Yami rolled his dice.

We all watched quietly.

He rolled a level four summoning.

"Nice roll," said Duke. "Too bad I've got you so boxed in you can't dimension the dice."

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Yami.

"What do you mean?" asked Duke.

"There's more than one way to dimension the dice, Devlin. You just have to believe," said Yami.

"Don't tell me how to play my game!" Duke snapped.

"I'll let the dice tell you," said Yami. And in a space no one had noticed, he dimensioned the dice. The dark magician was summoned.

"The dark magician has never failed me, Duke. All I had to do was believe in my dice and now he has appeared," said Yami.

"I've been underestimating this kid all along!" I heard Duke's voice in my head and my attention was on him in an instant. What was going on? I'd only ever heard the thoughts of people with millennium items. "Could I have been wrong about him and Pegasus?"

Yami moved the dark magician forward and destroyed Orgoth the Relentless.

"Hang that from your ear and dangle it, Dukey," said Joey.

"Yay! Yugi!" Tea cried, jumping up.

"You can do this!" Tristan and I called.

"Keep smiling, Yugi," I heard Duke think. "That will make it so much sweeter when I take out your last heart point."

"Guys, I don't feel so good," I murmured, putting my hand to my head. "My head is pounding."

"Cuz of the millennium puzzle?" Tea asked me.

I shook my head no. "I don't think so," I said, quietly.

Duke rolled and moved another of his monsters forward. It was then that he summoned an item. It was a thing called monster cannon that Duke claimed would destroy Yugi's dark magician.

"What's the matter, Yugi? Never heard of the monster cannon?" asked Duke. "It's a cannon that fires a monster at the enemy instead of a cannon." Duke aimed the cannon, when Yami activated the dark magician's special abilities – magical hats.

Duke missed.

Yami rolled his dice and activated another special ability called mystic box. It placed the dark magician in a box and stabbed the box with swords. But when the doors opened, it was Duke's monster in the box, not Yugi's.

"NO!" Duke cried.

The dark magician attacked Duke's final heart point.

The game was won.

The cheerleaders gasped and Joey began to shout and cheer. For a second, Tea and Tristan looked shocked. Then they cheered as well. I smiled at Yami, not wanting to shout because of how bad my head had been hurting.

Duke invited us into his office.

"Yugi, I'm sorry I accused you of cheating," said Duke, his head in his hands. "The better player won today and it was you."

"It's hard to see a person you look up to be defeated," I said, quietly. "It's understandable that you thought Pegasus was unbeatable."

Tea nodded in agreement. "Yea," she said. "I'm just glad you've learned that Yugi is not a cheat."

"You proved you did beat Pegasus, fair and square," said Duke. "I was such a creep today. Thanks to those TV cameras, the whole world knows it. My store is ruined. No one's going to want to play dungeon dice monsters now."

"That's not true at all, Duke," said Yugi. "Dungeon dice monsters has the potential to become a huge hit."

"True," said Yugi's grandfather, who had joined us shortly after the match finished. "I haven't seen a game this exciting since duel monsters. You've got to keep your store open."

"There's more than enough room for two game stores in town," said Tea. "I have a feeling that once dungeon dice monsters takes off, you'll both have more customers than you can handle."

"No way," said Duke, hopefully. "Do you really think so?"

"Sure," said Joey. "Dice monsters is great. It's you I don't like."

"I'd love to learn to play dice monsters," said Tristan.

"I can teach you," said Duke, smiling.

"Great!" said Tristan. "Maybe we can get Olive in on this game!"

I laughed and shook my head. "I don't play games, guys," I said.

"Aww, come on," said Duke, teasing. "You afraid you won't be any good?"

"Actually, I'd be _too_ good, I'm afraid," I said, sarcastically, shrugging. "It's a difficult decision for me to make, but I don't wanna ruin the fun for anyone else."

We laughed.

"You know, I bet if I talk to my mom she'll let us keep fliers advertising both game shops in _Reynolds_," I said. "She's all about helping people get their businesses started. Maybe you could wear something that advertises _Reynolds _when you play, Duke," I suggested. "It could be a really good business opportunity."

"That's a great idea," said Duke. "I'll have someone call you."

"Now that Joey's out of the dog house maybe things will get back to normal around here," said Yugi. "Which means that I can finally get back to playing duel monsters."

"So that's it?" asked Duke. "How can you let me off so easy, Yugi?"

"I've been asking myself the same thing," I joked.

"I was a total jerk to you and your friends," said Duke.

"The game is over now," said Yugi. "Let's just leave the fighting on the field. Revenge leaves you with nothing but more bad feelings. If you're truly sorry, the best thing to do is be friends."

Duke sighed. "I am sorry," he said. "And you're offering me something better than winning."

Yugi held out his hand. "Friendship always is," he said.

The two shook hands.

"Aww," said Tea.

The computer screen lit up with a new email notification.

"Anything good?" asked Joey.

Duke typed for a second and then said, excitedly, "Industrial Illusions did send a contract after all! They want to take dungeon dice monsters global!"

We all congratulated him.

"That's great," said Yugi.

"Thank you, Yugi," said Duke. "I really couldn't have done it without you setting me straight."

"You invented a great game," said Yugi.

"But you made me see it was missing something," said Duke. "The game isn't just about mastering the rules, it's about getting to know your opponent."

"Right," said Yugi. "It's not all about winning. It's about having fun and meeting and making new friends."

"Again, thank you," said Duke. "I'll be leaving to sign contracts and figure out all the details tomorrow morning. Olive, let me know what your mom says and I'll arrange something for your store."

It had been a long first day of school, I thought to myself, as I walked home. My phone vibrated and I took it out of my pocket. It was a text from Bakura that said only four words. "Miss me already, sweetheart?" I frowned and didn't respond.


	5. An Unconventional Morning

Chapter Five

"Olive!" Tea yelled, bursting in my room without knocking first.

She almost instantly blushed and turned away, covering her eyes. I had my music playing loudly so that I couldn't hear myself sing off-pitch while I was dancing. I was wearing white socks that came up to my knees, the pink jacket from my uniform, and a pair of green boy-shorts style panties. My hair was down and a mess. I ignored Tea's embarrassment and began dance in circles around her. I grabbed her hands and shook my hips, trying to make her dance with me.

"Olive, come on," she complained, looking mortified. "We need to go to school."

"What?" I asked. "Can't hear you."

She turned down the music.

"Olive," she said, raising her eyebrows and folding her arms across her chest. "Come on. We really have to go to school. We're going to be late and we're still supposed to go pick up Yugi."

"Right," I said, still swinging my hips as I made my way over to my bed. I grabbed my skirt and slipped into it. "Maybe I should start taking dance with you, huh?"

"Sure, whatever," said Tea. "If you want to."

I pouted. "Boo, you suck," I said. "Blondie was always a great dance partner."

"Blondie?" she asked.

"Yea," I said, nodding, reaching for the picture album on my side table. I opened it to a picture of me and Blondie in Egypt. "Blondie," I said. "I told you about him, Tea, I know I did. He was my awesome dance partner and my summer love."

Tea studied the picture. "I don't think you told me," she said. "But we need to hurry up."

"You know, I'm supposed to meet Kura at _Reynolds_. Does my hair look okay?" I asked, pushing it on top of my hair in different styles to see if I'd like it pulled up.

"You look great, Olive," said Tea. She grabbed my hand. "Come on."

"Okay, okay," I said, letting my hair fall back in place. I grabbed my backpack and my phone and followed her out the door. "Woo-hoo! I feel great. You should try dancing before your friends pick you up for school," I suggested. "It really gets the good energy flowing."

Tea rolled her eyes and tried not to smile. The two of us walked down the street to the game shop that Yugi's grandpa owned. Yugi and his grandfather lived on the top floor. Like every morning, Yugi's grandfather was sweeping out front.

"Good morning, Mister Muto," said Tea, cheerfully.

"Tea, Olive, good morning," said Yugi's grandfather. "You both look beautiful today."

"Why, Mister Muto, you are making me blush," I said, speaking in the Alabama accent my mother sometimes reverted back to when she was stressed, angry, or said the word 'darlin'.

He laughed and said, "Yugi's upstairs getting ready. I'll call him for you. Would you two like something to drink?"

Tea glanced up at the top floor of the game shop. "Uh, no thanks," she said. "We're already late."

"And I have to run over to _Reynolds_ and meet Bakura," I said. "I'll see you at the soccer game at school, okay, Tea?" I asked.

She nodded.

I heard Yugi's grandfather calling his name and Yugi reply, "I'll be right there, Grandpa," as I walked away.

I walked over to _Reynolds_, which was just down the street, and walked inside.

"Well, hey, baby," said my mom, looking up and beaming at me. My mom was wearing a pink tube-top dress that hugged her hips tightly. Her shoes, plain, peep-toed pink pumps, were discarded by the front door. Bakura was sitting on one of the couches in the store talking to her. He smiled when he saw me. "You look pretty today, Olive," he said.

"Yea, I knew the uniform would do it for you," I teased, making a face. "I didn't want to wear anything, actually. I wanted to dance in my room all day instead of going to watch a soccer game that I can't play in. Tea didn't approve of wearing only underwear," I added, with a wink at Bakura.

He didn't blush, but he looked away uncomfortably. It made me smile.

"You two are going to be late for that soccer thing," said my mom.

"Yea, you're right," I said, leaning over the counter to give my mom a hug. She kissed both of my cheeks. "We're never gonna hear the end of it from Tea either. She and Yugi already left ahead of us and we were already pretty much late. She likes to be as early as possible to everything."

My mom laughed. "Oh, I know, darlin," she said. "She always comes into work about twenty minutes early. She's a very punctual little lady. You guys hurry it up though. Tonight you can tell me all about it when your team wins."

"Nice try, Mom, but our team is going to get creamed without me," I said. I shrugged my bag, which was slipping, back on my shoulder and turned back to the door. "Come on, Kura," I said. "Let's go."

"Sure," he said. He was by my side quicker than I'd anticipated. It made me jump a little. "Did I startle you?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "_No_," I said, in an exaggerated way.

He smiled.

We were halfway to the school, when Tea went racing past us. For a second, neither of us said anything. We looked at each other and then back at Tea.

"Tea?" I called, questioningly, taking a few steps forward.

"Hey, Tea, what's the rush?" asked Bakura.

Tea spun around. "Oh, Bakura, Olive," she said. "Someone stole Yugi's millennium puzzle!"

"No!" I gasped.

"Where is the guy?" asked Bakura.

"I don't know," said Tea. "We split up to catch him."

"Where's Yugi?" I asked.

"In the alley," said Tea.

"Well, don't let us detain you," said Bakura. "Keep looking and we'll get some help."

"Right," said Tea, turning around and racing off again. "Thanks, Bakura! Olive!" she called over her shoulder.

"Damn," I said, shaking my head. I put one hand to my temple and began to rub it. Whenever millennium items were involved, I found myself plagued with migraines. It had become a habit of mine to anticipate and ignore them before they even began. Yugi insisted that probably made them worse, but I ignored him, of course. So it took me a minute to realize my head was actually beginning to hurt.

I glanced nervously over my shoulder at Bakura, but he looked fairly normal, given the circumstances. He just seemed worried about Yugi.

"I'm going down the alley," he said. "You go to the school. Joey and Tristan can help."

I nodded. "Sure thing," I said, taking off down the street.


	6. Lost and Found

Chapter Six

I staggered into the boys' locker room, ignoring the loud complaints of the school's soccer coach. I bent over, fighting to catch my breath and then ran through the rows of lockers before the coach could catch up to me and make me leave. There were whistles and catcalls and probably all sorts of other rude statements, but I ignored everyone.

"Joey," I gasped for breath. "Tristan, I need your help..." I let out a cry of surprise and stumbled a little, catching myself on a locker. Several voices flooded my mind all at once.

"…as for who I am, let's just say that I'm the one who shall control your destiny as I have controlled others and that I am not unfamiliar with the power of a millennium item…" came a voice that I had never heard in my mind before, but that somehow sounded familiar.

"I won't duel you for my millennium puzzle," I heard Yugi declare. "It's already mine."

I shook my head roughly. "Shut _up_," I heard myself say, quietly.

"Hey! Olive, what's going on?" asked Joey.

"Are you okay?" asked Tristan.

"Yea I'm fine," I said. "There's no time for me. Someone took Yugi's millennium puzzle and Tea and Bakura are in the alley trying to find the guy. We've gotta go help Yugi."

"…always looking for new minds to control_…"_ the strange voice said.

"Gods, this is ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "Do either of you have any pain killer? I can't focus with these stupid headaches bothering me all the time."

Tristan handed me a couple pills. "Maybe you should go to the doctor," he suggested. With a grin he added, "Or to a shrink."

I glared at him. "Be quiet, Tristan," I said. "We have to go, you guys. Yugi might be in trouble. Someone stole his millennium puzzle."

"Just point the way, girl," said Joey.

"Anyone who picks on Yugi has to deal with us all," Tristan added.

The coach grabbed my arm.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in here, Miss Reynolds?" he demanded.

"Ah! I don't know," I said. "We're about to leave."

"And where do you all think you're going? You volunteered to help at the soccer game," he said.

"For the record, _they_ volunteered," I mumbled.

"I know, coach, but we have an emergency," said Joey.

"My cat has gotten sick," said Tea, who had appeared behind the coach.

Tristan nodded. "Yea, we need to take it to the vet," he said.

Tea made her eyes big and watery. "Please!" she said, desperately. "We need to help Fluffy!" She hid her face with her hands and began to sob. "Poor Fluffy!"

The coach's eyes watered and he began to blink a lot. "I didn't realize your little kitty was sick," he said. "Of course you can go!"

"Yes, sir, thank you coach," said Joey and Tristan together. "And stay out of the boys' locker room, Miss Reynolds."

"You sure?" I asked. "I think the boys like it."

"I'm warning you, Reynolds..."

We all took off running.

"I take it you didn't catch the thief?" I asked Tea.

She shook her head. "I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find Yugi or the thief, so I came back here," she explained.

"Bakura when into the alley to look for him," I said.

"That's good," said Tea. "I hope he found Yugi."

"Can you hear anything, Olive?" asked Tristan.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"In your head," he said. "You hearing any helpful voices today?"

"You make me sound like a nut-case," I complained.

Joey laughed. "That's another matter entirely," he said.

"You guys know I'm not a radio, right?" I asked. "I can't just tune into people's thoughts. I did hear Yugi earlier. He was saying something about how the millennium puzzle was already his. I heard another voice, but I don't think it was relevant because I'd never heard it before. That part must have just been me going crazy."

"Let us know if you hear anything," said Tea, as we turned down the alley.

It didn't take long for us to realize we were more lost than a needle in a haystack. There were arrows pointing the way to go, but it looked as if someone had moved them to point all sorts of crazy directions. Even if we could follow every arrow, we would never find Yugi in time to help.

"…foolish boy, he has no idea what he's up against…" came the strange voice again.

"Seizing control of the millennium puzzle might be more interesting than I thought,"came a third voice that haunted my nightmares. I pushed it aside. Tristan had thrown the millennium ring into the middle of nowhere at Duelist Kingdom. Even though I'd been sure I'd caught glimpses of the evil spirit from the ring from time to time after that, I eventually had to admit that it was only in my mind. None of us had seen the millennium ring since then and aside from my obvious paranoia, Bakura seemed normal to everyone. I shook my head to get rid of the voice. The mere notion of hearing the evil Bakura's voice sent chills through my body.

"Yugi!" Tea called.

"Say something, buddy!" shouted Tristan.

"Yugi, where are you?" Joey yelled.

"Come on, Yugi, where'd you go?" I joined in.

"Where is he?" I heard Tea ask quietly.

A terrible laugh filled my mind. "You're finished, little Yugi!" said the new voice, and as terrible as it was, it was a relief to hear this new person instead of the spirit of the millennium ring. "With Bandit Keith under my mind control, you'll never win this duel!"

"I think we should go this way," I murmured, pointing.

"Okay," said everyone. They sounded skeptical, but they followed me anyway. "I can hear him," I said. "Yugi, I mean. He needs help. Yami… isn't dueling. I don't know why."

"Oh, no," said Tea, worry flooding her voice.

"Whoever he's dueling has something to do with mind control," I said. "I have no idea what's going on or who he's dueling, but there's someone else that has something to do with the millennium items. This is so annoying!" I burst out, frustrated, feeling the urge to throw a tantrum.

We continued to run down the alley, but to no avail. We were just getting more and more lost.

"Ring, severe the strings that bind this man," I could swear I heard Bakura say faintly.

The man who spoke with the strange voice was confused and angry. The things he was feeling flooded my mind. I stopped to lean against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ward off the pain, when I felt as if I'd been punched in the stomach, had all my bones broken, and my head split open all at once.

Somehow I knew that someone, somewhere had broken the millennium puzzle.

Joey, Tea, and Tristan stopped to catch their breath and make sure I was okay. That was when Tea noticed the thick, black smoke. We ran to the building that it was coming from.

As we reached the warehouse that was on fire, we heard someone scream, "HELP ME!"

"Don't worry!" said Tea. "We're here to help you."

"I can't believe someone's in there," I said, pulling the wooden door to the fence open and running over to the warehouse. I grabbed the handle to open the door and then let out a cry and jumped backwards. "Shit! It's hot!" I screamed. I turned to Tea. "You need to go call 911, Tea. Hurry!" I said.

She nodded and ran down the street.

I turned and began beating on the door. Joey pushed me aside and tried to kick it in. When that failed, Joey back up and said to Tristan, "Okay, on three. Three!" he yelled and the two of them began to run at the door and ram against it with their shoulders.

"Come on, guys!" I said. "Come on! Hurry."

"Come on, Tristan!" said Joey. "This time, hit it hard."

They ran at the door and, as they crashed into it, it crashed down.

I ran in after them.

"Anyone here?" Tristan yelled.

Out of the smoke, a blond man in a black robe ran at us, screaming. We stepped aside and he ran out the door yelling, "This place is haunted!"

"Did we just rescue Bandit Keith?" asked Joey.

"That was a little anticlimactic," I said.

"Let's make sure no one else is here," said Joey.

Tristan turned to me. "Maybe you should wait outside for the fire department," he said. "I don't want you to get sick from the smoke."

I nodded. I was already having trouble breathing. "Fine," I said. "I'll wait, but if you guys aren't out here in five minutes, I'm coming in."

"Right," they agreed, and they walked forward into the smoke.

"Anyone in here?" I heard Joey yell.

I waited anxiously by the door, coughing from the smoke, but not wanting to move. I wanted to be able to hear Joey and Tristan if either of them called for me. I heard footsteps behind me and turned. Tea was back.

"Tea!" I exclaimed.

"I called the fire department," she said. "Where are Joey and Tristan?"

"They ran inside to make sure that no one is trapped or hurt in there," I said. I tried to peer inside, but I could barely see through the flames and the dark smoke. "I think I see them, but I'm not sure," I said, pointing. "Look."

Tea nodded. "Olive…" she said, tugging on my jacket. The second she did, I realized how hot I was and slipped it off so that I was only in a tank top. "Olive, do you see that? That looks like Yugi! Tristan! Joey!" she yelled. "Can you hear me?" We backed away from the door a little more as thicker smoke began to stream out. The silhouette of our three friends was obscured.

I put my hands up to my mouth to try and make my voice louder. "The fire is spreading!" I yelled. "You guys have got to get out of there!"

We heard sirens and two fire trucks pulled up in front of the building.

"Ladies, you need to back up," said one of the firemen.

"But our friends…" said Tea.

"We'll take it from here, ladies," said the fireman. "You really need to back up."

One of the firemen took Tea by the arm. I started to walk forward, mostly out of defiance, and another fireman caught me around the waist. Once we were out of the way, they took out the hoses and began to spray the warehouse.

"Please, hurry up!" Tea said. "Our friends are in there."

Tristan and Joey came running through the door. Yugi was passed out, holding tightly to his millennium puzzle, and Tristan was carrying him.

"Yugi!" Tea cried.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Don't you guys worry," said Joey. "He's safe and sound now. That millennium puzzle of his is too."

Yugi was put in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital. The rest of us ran down the street and I hailed a taxi so we could meet him there. After all the tests to make sure that Yugi was fine, we were allowed in his hospital room. Tea sat next to him on the bed and I sat at the end of the bed, legs crossed. Yugi was holding tightly to his millennium puzzle. He explained to us what had happened.

"It's good to see you're okay, Yugi," said Tea.

"How can I ever thank you guys," Yugi said to Joey and Tristan. "You saved my life back there and put yourselves in danger. You're the greatest friends a guy ever had."

"That's what friends are for," said Joey.

"The important thing is that we're all safe and back together," said Yugi.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help more," I apologized.

"Don't worry about it," he said. He glanced at Tea who looked lost in her own thoughts. "Are you okay, Tea? You seem kind of quiet." he asked. We all looked at her.

"Yea, I'm fine, guys," she said. "It's just been a long day."

The boys began to fight over food. I touched Tea's arm, gently.

"Tea, come to the bathroom with me," I said, guiding her outside. Once the door was shut, I said, "Okay, now tell me what's wrong."

She sighed. "The boys might be okay," she said. "But I'm not. This is scary, Olive. Someone is trying to get Yugi's millennium puzzle and I don't know how to help him. Because of someone being after the puzzle, we almost lost him today. Ever since Yugi first put that puzzle together and bonded with the spirit inside, it seems like everyone is trying to steal it. I just feel like this time we're in more danger than ever. I know we haven't seen the last of whoever's after Yugi."

I paused and then nodded slowly. "You're right, Tea," I said. "I don't think we've seen the last of whoever is behind this either. Listen. Look at me, Tea," I said. She looked at me. "You and I are going to keep an eye out. If I see anything unusual I'll let you know and you do the same for me. We can help protect him okay?"

Tea nodded and tried to smile. "Thanks, Olive," she said. She pulled me into a hug. "I'm so grateful you're back!" she said. "I'm so glad that we're friends."

"I am too," I said, patting her back awkwardly.


	7. Dreams and Memories

**A/N :: I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far! Those who have taken the time, I appreciate the reviews! I love hearing what you guys think. **

* * *

Chapter Seven

That Saturday, I was sitting on the patio swing out by the pool in the back yard. Pushing myself gently with my foot, I read my old copy of _'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'_. It had been my favorite book since I read it in my English class a few years back. There were footsteps and I looked up. Tea smiled and waved.

"Hey," I said. "What's up?"

"Your mom told me you were out here," said Tea. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Psh, not at all," I said, waving my hand. "Is something up?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about something," said Tea, quietly.

"Okay," I said. I patted the cushion next to me on the swing.

Tea sat next to me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I've been thinking all week about some of the stuff you said about the mind reading stuff," said Tea. "You said in Duelist Kingdom that you could read Yugi and Pegasus's mind."

I nodded. "Bakura's too," I said.

"Right," she said. "I was wondering if you've ever tried to read anyone else's mind."

"No," I said. "I haven't. I didn't even know that I could read minds until I moved here and the millennium items and stuff became a part of my life. Why do you ask though? What have you been thinking?"

"Okay, I don't want you to think I'm crazy or anything, but I got you a book," said Tea. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small book. "It's all about learning to control your mind and awaken psychic powers. I thought that maybe it would help you be able to control when you read minds. Then maybe you could tell when Yugi is in trouble. We could be more help, you know? I mean, if you want to. I don't mean to push you or involve myself anywhere that I'm not welcome, I just thought…"

"Tea, stop being apologetic. This is so cool!" I exclaimed, taking the book and flipping through a few of the pages. "You aren't intruding at all, don't worry about it. You're one of my best friends. You can talk to me about anything. Don't ever feel like you can't. This is a really great idea. If I could learn how to control this, that would be amazing. Then maybe I wouldn't have to deal with all these headaches I get."

Tea smiled. "I'm glad I talked to you about it, then," she said. "I'm glad I went ahead and got the book. I remember when you started getting the headaches and the fevers."

I frowned a little. "I still do sometimes," I admitted. "Medicine doesn't even touch it. It was a lot less frequent in Egypt, but I assume that's because I wasn't around so many millennium items."

"That makes sense," said Tea.

"Did you want to spend the night?" I asked Tea.

"Sure," she said, nodding.

The next day, I woke up at ten. Tea was still asleep. I pulled a robe over my short nightgown and walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. My hair was a mess. It was stuck to my face and flattened on one side and frizzy and sticking up crazily on the other. The mascara that I'd been too lazy to take off the night before was smeared all around my eyes. I walked slowly down the hall and dropped into a chair at the kitchen table.

"Morning, darlin," said my mom. She was sitting on a barstool in front of the kitchen counter. There were ingredients for sandwiches spread out in front of her, but she was watching the news, intently. She was wearing white Mary Jane style heels, a white denim skirt, and a tight pink tank top that had white and silver stars all over it. Her hair fell down her back in perfect waves. Her makeup, flawlessly done, looking airbrushed on. She looked, like she almost always did, as if she'd stepped out of a magazine.

"Mommmmmmm," I moaned. "Why can't you look like a normal person? You make me look like crap."

"I think you're beautiful," said my mom.

"You're biased because you gave birth to me," I stated. "Are you making sandwiches?"

"Oh, yea," said my mom. She began to put the sandwiches together. "I got distracted."

"You distracted?" I asked in disbelief. "No…"

"Hey, smart ass," said my mom. "Watch your mouth. I have to go to work in just a few minutes so I was getting lunch ready for you and Tea."

"Thanks," I said. I took an apple from the bowl of fruit on the table and bit into it.

"Any big plans today?" asked my mom.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I said. "I'll have to ask Tea if she wants to do anything, I guess. That's the polite thing, right?"

"You polite?" my mom asked, mimicking my tone of disbelief and my wide innocent eyes. "No…"

I laughed. "Maybe I'll go tanning. I need to maintain my Egyptian goddess look, don't you think?" I asked.

My mom laughed. "Hey, if you want skin cancer, by all means go right ahead. But don't come crying to me," she said.

I smiled. "Just kidding," I said.

Tea walked down the hall and sat down at the kitchen table with me. I tossed her one of the apples. On the screen over my mom's shoulder, a woman caught my eye. She was wearing a white dress with a wide neckline and showed the tops of her shoulders. There was a black design along the edge. She had dark skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. She was wearing a gold headdress that had a green gem in the center and a gold necklace with and eye symbol.

I gasped and Tea followed my gaze.

"Her necklace?" she asked me, quietly.

I nodded. "Just like the millennium items," I said, quietly. I touched my right forearm where I also had a scar shaped like the symbol. It was one of the two scars I'd acquired at Duelist Kingdom. The other one, on my face, had faded a lot with the tan, but was still clearly visible. I'd gotten that one running through a forest. The other scar, the one on my forearm, had appeared there overnight. I didn't know how I'd gotten it, but someone must have carved it there. It was too perfect to be anything else.

"Mom, turn up the TV," I said.

"In today's news, at Domino Museum, Ishizu Ishtar of the Egyptian Historical Society announced the opening of her highly anticipated ancient Egyptian exhibit," said the announcer.

"Game fans are especially invited," said Ishizu. "This world premiere showcases newly discovered and never before seen artifacts chronicling the history of Egyptians games. In ancient times, games were not played just for fun as they are today. Everyone, from princes to peasants waged dueling games against each other for land, wealth, and, especially, for power. These games were epic battles. I've unearthed relics that suggest a great pharaoh himself may have competed in a game against forces threatening to destroy the entire world. Of course," she added, "this is still speculation and further studying needs to be done. I'm personally inviting Seto Kaiba to this evening's private exhibition," she continued. I thought it was sort of weird, but I kept listening. "I promise that what he will witness will change his life forever."

"I heard about this exhibit coming to town a couple months ago," said Tea.

"I worked at a museum that she owns in Egypt when I was there last summer," I said. "She's amazing." I turned to my mom. "Well, Mother dear, I know what I'm going to do today. Can I borrow the car?"

"What? Olive, I need the car to get to work," said my mom.

"I just want to go down to the museum and see if I can talk to that woman," I said. "I studied and worked at one of the museums she created over the summer. She's really famous when it comes to this kind of stuff and I need to drop Tea off at dance too."

My mom surveyed me through narrowed eyes for a moment before she sighed and rummaged through her purse to find the keys. "Fine," she said, when she'd found them. She handed me the keys. I reached for them and she pulled them out of my reach. "You better thank the gods you have a mama like me, girl," she said. She handed me the car keys.

"I do!" I said. "I thank the gods every day of my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I ate some more fruit and talked with Tea. When we were done eating, we went upstairs to get dressed. I pulled on a pair of very tight, light skinny jeans, cowboy boots, and a light yellow cowl necked tank top. Tea got into her school uniform from the day before and asked if I could drive by her house so she could change into her dance clothes.

I agreed and after straightening my hair as quickly as I could, applying some mascara and lip gloss, and brushing my teeth, we hurried downstairs.

"You look nice, Olive," said my mom.

"Thanks, you're a doll," I said. "Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"No," said my mom. "But could you drop the car off at _Reynolds_ and walk home when you're done with it? I have a new shipment coming in tonight so I'll be at the store until late."

"Sure thing," I said. I picked up my purse, checked for my wallet and walked out to the car with Tea. After dropping her off at her dance class, I drove to Domino Museum. I'd only been there once, on a field trip, since moving to Japan but I knew where it was. It was only about forty minutes from my house, but with traffic, it took me just over an hour to get there. I parked the car and got out, checking my reflection in the car windows before I walked in.

"Excuse me," I said to the woman at the front desk. "I'm here to see Miss Ishtar. I'm a student from a study-abroad group that worked at her museum during the summer. Could you please tell me where to find her?"

"Sure," said the girl, smiling brightly. "Right this way."  
I followed her down a hallway. "Miss Ishtar is showing the exhibit to someone right now, but you are more than welcome to wait in her office," she said, gesturing to a door marked _Staff Personnel Only_. With another smile, she handed me a visitor's pass

I thanked her and went into the office to wait. I looked around the room for pictures or anything interesting for a few minutes, but the office was pretty bare. I figured Ishizu must have just arrived. My mom had always told me that "curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back". For my entire life, I had used that as an excuse to snoop and be nosy whenever I wanted to. When I didn't find anything, I sat down on the couch and pouted for a moment. I pulled the book about psychic stuff and mind reading out of my purse, grateful I'd remembered it. I decided to start reading while I waited.

The book talked about using mediation as a way to learn to control your "gift". It said you should be in a silent room, with no distractions. It said to close your eyes and focus on your breathing and clearing your mind.

I listened to see if anyone was coming and then closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As thoughts came into my mind, I pretended to file them away. I tried to picture only darkness.

"…we can face him together…" I heard Yami's voice for a split second and then it was gone.

Then I heard Tea. "Where am I?" I heard her ask.

I jumped when I heard her voice. Then, excited with the realization that I could hear her thoughts and she didn't have a millennium item, I tried to focus again.

I felt like someone tugged my body and, suddenly, I was beside her, but she didn't see me. She was wearing brown knee-high boots, a white sleeveless turtleneck shirt and a pink mini skirt. We were standing in a canyon that had statues carved into the stone. We were in the desert. Having studied ancient Egyptian artifacts, I knew almost instantly we were in Egypt. Tea must have been dreaming.

Tea looked towards some steps and I looked too. It had to be a dream, because I felt I could only see what Tea saw. I could only move where Tea moved. There was someone walking up the steps. "Is that Yugi?" she thought. "Hey, Yugi! Stop!" she called.

Yugi turned to look down at her. It was Yami.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

Yami turned and continued up the stairs.

"Yugi!" she yelled again.

"To face my destiny," said Yami, without turning back.

"Don't go!" yelled Tea.

There was jolt like I'd tried to take another step where there wasn't another stair and I knew Tea had woken up. I jumped myself and was instantly unfocused.

"Wow," I muttered, looking down at the book. "This stuff works. I'll have to tell Tea." I sat in silence for a moment, considering leaving and trying to talk to Ishizu later, when my head erupted in pain. Something in the back of my head told me to focus my mind and try to make the pain go away. Instead, I gave up on trying to maintain any semblance of control and leaned over, placing my head on my knees.

I closed my eyes.

I saw a room with lots of gold. It was carved from stone, I thought. I looked down and I saw a man. He was speaking, but I couldn't hear him. My mind reeled when I saw him. It was Kaiba. Or at least…he looked like Kaiba. He had a purple turban-like hat on his head and a white cape. He woke an ankh necklace around his neck and had gold bands on his arms. He wasn't wearing a shirt and for a second, I stared at his well defined muscles. Huge stone tablets that looked like duel monster cards and seemed vaguely familiar somehow rose up and I saw monsters emerge. In the back of the room, sitting on a throne in the shadows sat the pharaoh. Beside him, hidden by shadows, there was a second person. The monsters attacked each other and the men behind the man who looked like Kaiba disappeared.

"You're wrong, Yugi, you need to believe in yourself the way I believe in you," I heard Yami's voice enter my mind. It echoed around the chamber I was in and the walls and image crumbled.

The pain began again and I watched the room rebuild itself. More monsters and more stone tablets. The monsters attacked the man who looked like Kaiba.

"You have not won yet, Pharaoh!" said the man who looked like Kaiba. "It is far from over. Do you think that one of your pathetic minions has the means to defeat me? I will shatter them from existence right before your very eyes."

I saw a woman standing in the corner of the room. She was watching me, curious, but also as if she was not surprised to see me.

The man who looked like Kaiba called forth more monsters. The monsters disappeared and the blue eyes white dragon appeared. The pharaoh cried out in surprise and stood up. It destroyed all the other monsters and the room went up in flames.

The room crumbled once again and, as I blinked, trying to separate vision from reality, I suddenly felt dizzy. I shook my head as the room spun and tried to control my breathing

"…the cards were discovered…" a voice echoed through my head. "I must find them and hide them again…"

"Oh, man," I said. "This book Tea gave me has opened my mind more, but now I don't know how to completely close it."

"…the rare hunters…" I heard another phrase that echoed through my head.

"…if you were to start a duel monsters tournament…"

"…I see…" I heard Kaiba's voice, which sent waves of pain through my body.

"…Obelisk the Tormenter…" I heard Kaiba exclaim.

"…you will have to face your past…"

"…wish we knew more…" I heard Yugi's voice float through my head.

I heard someone walking and, for a second, I didn't know if it was in my head or not. Then I saw a door open and Kaiba walked through.

"Kaiba?" I asked, standing up.

"Olive?" he said, surprised. I saw him slip a card into his pocket. "What are you doing here?"

I looked him up and down and saw him do the same to me.

"I came to speak to Ishizu Ishtar," I said. "I worked at one of her museums last summer but I never had the pleasure of meeting her."

"Yea, Mokuba said that's where you ran off to last summer," Kaiba sneered. "Thanks for the goodbye. It was really appreciated."

"Wasn't sure you wanted one," I shot back, an equally nasty tone in my voice.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, I sure hope you had fun," he said, sarcastically. "See you around, kid."


	8. A Day with Yami

Chapter Eight

A week later, on Friday, it was unexpectedly cloudy. While I was getting dressed, it started to rain so I pulled on a pale purple raincoat that went down to my knees and a pair of matching rain boots. I put my normal shoes in my backpack, grabbed an umbrella, and walked to school. I walked in the gutter, jumping in the puddles and kicking the water.

When I got to school, I shook of my umbrella and hurried to my first class. I was already late because I'd taken so long getting to school. I walked to my locker and slipped out of my raincoat. I hung it up and stepped out of my rain boots. I put the books I needed in my bag and hurried to my homeroom class.

I slipped into the classroom.

"Late again, Miss Reynolds?" asked the teacher.

I flinched. "Sorry," I said.

He rolled his eyes and I slipped into my seat beside Bakura.

"Why were you late?" asked Bakura.

"I just love the rain," I said.

"Hey," said Joey, walking over and sitting in a seat in front of me. He was followed by Tristan, Tea, and Yugi. Joey told us that his sister was finally getting her operation and Tristan began to incessantly tease him about how he was going to start dating Serenity. Tea, Yugi, Bakura, and I tried to ignore them. During our free time, while everyone else played duel monsters or did homework, I sat on the floor and pulled out the book that Tea bought for me. While I read, Bakura sat behind me and braided and unbraided my hair. Yugi and Tea were sitting in the chairs that were closest to us.

"What do you think of the book?" Tea asked me.

I sighed and put it down. I closed my eyes and laid my head back against Bakura's chest. He hugged me from behind. I heard a chuckle and my eyes flew open. When I looked around, no one else seemed to have noticed, so I didn't say anything. I didn't think anything of it. I'd been hearing things all day.

"You know," I said. "It's a really great book actually. It's helping me learn to meditate and open my mind and stuff. The biggest problem is that I'm having trouble closing my mind back up. The other night, while I was waiting to talk to someone at the Domino Museum, I started reading this and doing the meditating thing. I was able to look into a dream you were having, Tea. But every time something concerning a millennium item happens near me, I have no control. After I tried to stop using the power, I still got bits and pieces of thoughts. I've been hearing things all day today," I said.

"Really?" asked Tea.

"From everyone or just from Yugi?' asked Bakura.

"From everyone," I said. "Joey, Tristan, Yugi, both of you, every random kid who walks past me, all our teachers. I just need to read some more, I guess, and learn how to close my mind off to hearing other people. I need to learn to only hear people when I want to hear people."

"Be patient," said Tea, encouragingly. "You'll figure it out."

"You're probably right," I said. I sighed. "I miss Egypt, you guys. I was working hard on what I loved everyday out in the heat. We played soccer and kickball and danced around the fire and drank beer. It felt so carefree. I barely had any headaches from my dumb mind-reading power. Did I tell you guys some of my cards got stolen though?"

"Really?" asked Yugi, suddenly interested. He'd been staring out the window, lost in thought, for most of the conversation. "What cards are missing?"

I shrugged. "I don't know," I said. "I don't really play so I don't know my deck that well."

"That's really strange," said Yugi. "Did anyone else there play?"

"Not that I ever saw. Most of the time we were working or studying, you know, but I think I would have noticed is anyone was playing duel monsters," I said. "It was pretty frustrating. I feel bad because your grandpa put that deck together for me."

"He'll understand," said Yugi.

"Did you meet anyone while you were gone?" asked Bakura. I felt his arms around me pull me closer. It was a very slight change, but I still noticed.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "I met lots of people. I had two instructors and there were nine other students. In Egypt I met museum curators and archaeologists and the team that led the dig. There was also a student group from Egypt that joined us at the dig."

"I think what Bakura meant, was did you meet any _guys_," said Tea. "Any summer love?"

"Who's in love?" asked Joey. He and Tristan joined us.

"No one," I said, quickly, blushing.

"Ah! Olive is in love!" said Tristan.

"I am not," I said. "They just asked if I hooked up with anyone while I was in Egypt."

"And what's the answer?" asked Tea.

"I met one guy," I admitted. "We sort of…were curious about each other the whole time and we danced together and played games and stuff, but we didn't really start talking until the last couple weeks I was there."

"Did you guys…do anything?" asked Joey.

I made a motion like I was zipping my lips and smiled when everyone protested.

"Okay, well what was his name?" asked Tea.

I sighed. "I have no idea," I said.

"How do you not know?" asked Tristan.

"Well, we wanted to keep things fun and casual," I said. "So we never asked each other's names. I called him 'Blondie' and he called me 'kid'."

"I guess that's sort of cute," said Tea. From the tone in her voice, I could tell she didn't think it was cute at all.

I laughed. "Not really," I said. "It's irresponsible and childish, but whatever. It was fun. It doesn't matter anyway. I'll probably never see him again."

* * *

That day after school, I pulled my rain boots and raincoat back on and met Tea. We walked outside and just stood and stared at the rain for a minute. I walked a few steps out into the rain without my umbrella and started to twirled. I took a deep breath. I loved the rain and the way it made the air smell. Tea looked at me like I was crazy, but she didn't ask.

"Why can't it rain during school instead of after?" Tea complained.

"Hey, guys," said Yugi, walking up behind us. "What's up?"

"We're just debating going out in the rain," said Tea. "I mean, _I'm_ debating going out in the rain. Obviously Olive already is out there."

"The rain is my lover," I told them.

"You're ridiculous," said Tea.

"Thank you, dear," I said.

"I think I might need your guys help," said Yugi. "So does the spirit of the millennium puzzle."

"How is Yami doing?" I asked, walking back over to them, my hair and face wet.

"You're makeup is running," said Tea.

I shrugged and rubbed my eyes just to make it worse.

"Well, whoever stole the puzzle seemed to know a lot about its past. It reminded the spirit…"

"Yami," I interrupted. "That's what he's called."

"…how little he knows about it," Yugi continued. "But I think you guys can help! Hanging out with you two might help him figure some things out."

"How exactly are we going to do that?" asked Tea.

"Well, Tea, you always have such great advice," said Yugi. "Just talk to him. And Olive, you are always so honest and you're able to see into people's minds. Maybe you can use that to help him somehow."

"Okay," we agreed.

"Great!" Yugi exclaimed. "You guys are the best!" He ran down the steps and into the rain.

"But what's the plan?" Tea called after him.

I skipped back out into the rain. My hair was soaked and sticking to my face by now, but I flipped it all around and jumped into a puddle of muddy water. I started dancing. Tea covered her face in embarrassment.

"Ten tomorrow morning," said Yugi. "Meet me at Domino station. Thanks girls."

"You're welcome!" I called.

"I hope I can actually help," said Tea.

I smiled. "You can," I said, taking my iPod out of my backpack. I slid it down the front of my shirt and into my bra and then put one earphone in so I could dance to music and listen to Tea at the same time. "You can spend the night at my house if you want to. We can have another girls' night and then just go to the train station together."

"Sure," said Tea. "Sounds good."

* * *

The next morning, Tea and I woke up around eight and got dressed. I picked out clothes for Tea to wear and she picked out clothes for me. I chose thigh high black boots, short pink shorts, a yellow t-shirt, and a pink jacket for Tea. She also picked out a pink choker necklace to wear with it. For me, who Tea always wanted to look more girly when the occasion didn't call for it, Tea had a frilly white mini skirt and an olive green top. She said she picked the olive green because of my name. She gave me white flats to wear, which was different because I usually wore heels or running shoes everywhere, I put on the gold ankle bracelet that my friend from Egypt had gotten me and painted my nails light pink while Tea crimped my hair. I put on a black leather jacket before we left.

My mom dropped us off and we waited on the front steps of Domino Station.

"How am I going to help the spirit figure out his past?" Tea thought. She was standing up, watching for Yugi, while I sat on the steps trying to ignore the thoughts of everyone who passed me. "I mean, I know a little bit about the millennium puzzle, but I'm not sure there's anything I can tell him about it that he doesn't already know. This is way too much pressure!"

"Tea, you are thinking _so_ loudly," I told her.

"You can hear me?" she asked, shocked.

I nodded. "Yup," I said. "And as I said, you are thinking very _loudly_."

"That's probably a good sign, right?" asked Tea.

"You need to relax. Yugi asked us for help for a reason. He obviously feels you have something to contribute."

"Yea, but you're actually probably connected to all this stuff somehow," said Tea. "I mean, even that Shadi man that Yugi met called you a priestess."

"Yugi told you about that?" I asked.

Tea nodded.

"I don't know," I said. "I barely understand anything about myself, let alone anything about Yami, although I do feel like…I've always know him. I don't know if that makes sense."

"You knew his name before any of the rest of us," Tea pointed out. "You knew his name even before he told Yugi."

I shrugged. "Sometimes I just know things, Tea," I said. "It comes with my little gift. And just so you know, talking to you really does help. You ask all the right questions, you know?"

"Thanks," said Tea, smiling.

I felt a pounding in my head. I could feel a concentrated energy to the left of us and I turned to look. There was Yami, the light from the millennium puzzle fading. He was wearing black shoes, black pants, black arm bands, and a black tank top. His studded belt hung loosely on his hips.

"What…you can't…Yugi…this isn't a duel," he was saying in a very flustered way.

Tea followed my gaze.

"Hello," he said, awkwardly when he noticed us staring.

"Hey," I said. "Don't be so worried. You've been in way worse places."

The three of us went out to lunch. Tea and I exchanged uncomfortable glances when Yami barely spoke.

"He seems to have a lot on his mind," I heard Tea think.

She pulled a magazine out of her bag and said, "Hey, guys, here's something we can do. It's the ancient Egypt exhibit."

"Now _that_ could be interesting," said Yami.

"I'm up for anything from Egypt," I chimed in. "I can't wait to see that exhibit anyway. Anything Ishtar is amazing."

She pointed at the picture. "Check out this old stone," she said.

We both leaned forward to look.

"I have a scar shaped like that," I said.

"You do?" asked Yami, suddenly, in a very interested. "May I see it?"

I nodded and slid my jacket off. I rested my forearm facing up on the table. Yami traced the scar with his finger tip. My skin tingled.

"I didn't know you had that," said Tea.

"I don't go around advertising it," I said. "It really freaked me out because I don't know how I got it. When I was at Pegasus's castle, I woke up one day and it was there."

"It's the same symbol on the millennium puzzle too," she said. "Call me crazy, but this exhibit has gotta help answer some questions about your past." Yami's face fell a little. "Or, we can do something else instead," said Tea. "If you don't want to see the exhibit, it's up to you."

"I wanna see the exhibit," I whined.

"It's Yugi…Yami's choice," said Tea.

"Please," said Yami. "You both must forgive me." He studied his arm thoughtfully. "Lately I feel like a stranger to myself. There are so many details about who I am and where I came from that I can't seem to remember."

"Hey, that's understandable," I said. "I feel the same way sometimes now that I can suddenly hear thoughts."

"Maybe we should start with what you do remember," said Tea.

"I know that my origins lie in ancient Egypt and that I now reside within the millennium puzzle," said Yami. "But that's about all. When Yugi first put the puzzle together and our bond began, it was as if my spirit were reborn. Since that day, I've felt that I'm here for a reason. I feel like destiny brought me to Yugi to accomplish something of great importance. After the puzzle was almost taken away from us, that feeling began to grow stronger."

"I feel the same way," I said. "About destiny, I mean. I feel like I'm here for a reason. I feel like my mom was compelled to move to Japan because I was needed here at this time for some reason. I couldn't read minds until the evil spirit of the millennium ring drank…did something to my mind."

"Maybe the key to understanding why I'm here lies in my past," said Yami. He studied me carefully. "You feel so familiar, Olive," he said. "Maybe I will find answers concerning you as well."

"Well," said Tea, "if it makes you guys feel any better, I'm going through the same thing. My situation isn't exactly the same as yours, but I'm not sure why I'm here or what my future holds either."

"I see," said Yami.

"For now, I'm just going to listen to my heart and see where that takes me," said Tea. "My heart is telling me to become a dancer."  
"You should see her, Yami," I said. "I go to her practice to watch her all the time and she's amazing."

"You're good too, Olive," said Tea, quietly.

"Thanks, but I'm just crazy," I said. "It's just a hobby. Seeing you dance…you can see how much you love it."

"That's great, Tea," said Yami. "I always tell Yugi to follow his heart." He looked at me. "What does your heart tell you?" he asked.

I thought about it for a minute. "I don't know," I lied.

"You'll tell us when you're ready," said Tea. "You shouldn't see the unknown as an enemy. You should look at it as an adventure. Come on, you guys," she said, standing up. "I totally just inspired myself. Let's go."  
"Where are we going?" asked Yami.

"Wherever we're inspired to go. It's an adventure, remember?" said Tea.

We spent the afternoon at a CD shop listening to music, feeding pigeons in the park, seeing a movie, and trading cards. After Yami traded cards, we headed to the arcade. We watched a man playing a dance game for a while. Tea handed Yami her jacket and went to play. The music began and Tea closed her eyes and began to move. Watching her was incredible. It was as if the music had been made for her movements, not as if she moved with the music. The other guy tried to trip and push Tea and she still won.

"I told you she was amazing," I said, quietly, to Yami.

He nodded in agreement.

When it began to grow dark, the three of us went to a park where we could watch the sun set on the water.

"I love the water," I murmured. "All my journeys begin by crossing the sea."

"What do you mean?" asked Tea.

"I crossed the ocean to come to Japan, rode across the ocean to Duelist Kingdom…" I trailed off, feeling as if I was leaving something out.

"I've been thinking about what you said earlier," Yami said to Tea. "You said you were unsure about your life too and that when in doubt you follow your heart," said Yami. "And my heart is now telling me that I must uncover the secrets of my origin, no matter where the search may lead me. I want to know who I am and why I am here. I want to know why I am in the millennium puzzle. I even want to know why Shadi called Olive a priestess."

"Believe me, I'd like to know that too," I told him.

"He's really determined to find out about his past," Tea thought, watching Yami.

"I'm glad my advice could help you," Tea said. "And just so you know, while you're out there searching for some answers, your friends will be by your side searching along with you, won't we Olive?"

"Hell yea," I said, smiling.

"Thank you," said Yami.


	9. Meeting Ishizu

Chapter Nine

Just after dusk, we found ourselves in front of Domino Museum. Whenever I went to a museum, I was full of anticipation. I loved to look at anything from history, whether it was artifacts from Egypt or Peru or art from France. I loved it all. Coming to this museum was ten times better than any other museum I'd been to because of the answers that might be inside. Yami thought that it might hold clues to his past and answers to his questions. He thanked us and the three of us made out way into the museum together.

There were several men and women were looking at the different displays. We walked down the hallway and I fought the urge to rush up to every display and start rambling on and on about it. I had to remind myself that we were here for Yami and I could come back another day if I had to.

"You're sure you want to go through with this, right?" Tea asked Yami.

"I have no choice, Tea," said Yami. "It's my destiny." He stopped walking.

"You okay?" I asked.

Yami ducked under some ropes and pushed open a door. "I sense something here," he said.

"In the basement?" I asked, skeptically, exchanging a look with Tea.

The symbol that I could sometimes see glow on Yami's forehead when he dueled light up.

"Is this a part of the exhibit?" Tea asked me, as Yami began to walk down the stairs.

"I don't think so," I said. "Let's go."

"Something down there is calling out to me," said Yami. "I feel that the answers I seek are near."

I was right behind Yami and Tea was right behind me.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we saw a large stone slab behind glass. It was covered in carvings and pictures. My eyes widened when I saw it.

"Check it out," said Tea. "It's some kind of ancient Egyptian stone."

"And those carvings resemble duel monster cards," said Yami.

"It's not all that's on here," I said, walking forward. I pointed at one of the carvings. Yami and Tea walked forward to see what I was pointing at.

"No way!" Tea gasped. "That guy looks just like you. Is this thing for real? It's freaking me out."

Yami sighed, studying the carving. "Yes, Tea, it is real," he said. "Somehow I know it is."

I nodded. "He's right," I said. "It is."

"Look around his neck," said Yami.

It was the millennium puzzle.

"The pharaoh," I whispered.

"That appears to be me playing an ancient form of duel monsters," said Yami.

"Wow," said Tea, still in shock.

"This is exactly the kind of clue I've been searching for, but I wish I were able to decipher its meaning," said Yami. "Who am I dueling against in this carving? What was this age-old game all about? Was it even a game?"

"I can read the symbols if you give me a minute," I told him. "And I have a pretty good idea of who you were dueling too…"

"Just when I think I've found one answer, a thousand new questions arise," said Yami.

My head began to ache. "Someone else is here," I said.

We heard footsteps behind us and a female voice said, "My pharaoh, I've been expecting you." We turned to see Ishizu Ishtar. She glanced at me, but only for a moment. I knew instantly that she was the woman who'd been watching me in the vision of the man who looked liked Kaiba dueling the Pharaoh.

"Who are you?" asked Yami.

"I am Ishizu," she said. "And I have uncovered many mysteries about you and these ancient carvings using the magic of my millennium necklace."

"No wonder I got a headache," I said, quietly.

"Another millennium item," said Yami.

"Like your millennium puzzle, this necklace affords me certain powers," said Ishizu, touching the necklace gently. She looked at me. "Not all of us are lucky enough to have power born inside of us. With this necklace, I was able to gaze five thousand years into the past to a time when evil sorcerer's threatened to destroy the entire world. However, there was one king who possessed a magic powerful enough to stop this evil threat."

"And who was this king?" asked Yami.

"The pharaoh who saved the world was you, Yami," said Ishizu.

At the same time, I said, "It was you, Yami."

"The time has come for you to rescue mankind once again," said Ishizu. She motioned to me. "Even your priestess is here to guide and assist you, as she did once before. Everything has fallen into place."

"To rescue mankind?" asked Yami. "From what? How do you know that the world is in danger of being destroyed again?"

"My millennium necklace also shows me visions of the future," Ishizu explained. "Oh, my pharaoh, the events of the past will occur once again and that same great evil will return to threaten us."

"How will I recognize this evil?" asked Yami.

"I know that your memory has faded, my pharaoh, and that you seek many answers," said Ishizu. "I also know that a duel monsters tournament is beginning. If you win it, you will find your answers." She turned and began to walk away. "When you return home, you'll discover and invitation waiting for you," she said, without looking back. "Also, high priestess, I sense your powers are growing stronger. This is good. Continue to strengthen them. Our Pharaoh will need your help. Farewell, King Yami." And with that, she walked away.

"Yami," said Tea. "So that is your name."

"Like I've been telling everyone," I said.

Yami turned to look at the stone again.

"Wow," said Tea. "And you were this powerful Egyptian king who saved the world five thousand years ago? And Olive was a high priestess who helped guide you somehow? This is pretty major."

"Yes," said Yami. "But I still have so many questions…"

"Have you recognized your opponent yet?" I asked, pointing to the carving of the priest.

"My opponent looks like Kaiba!" Yami gasped.

"You're right," said Tea. "How did you know that, Olive?"

"A vision," I answered, quietly.

"But that would mean that he was the ancient evil sorcerer," said Tea.

Yami didn't speak, but his thoughts flooded my mind. "Could it be that I'm supposed to face Kaiba in order to save the world again?" he thought, holding the millennium puzzle in a thoughtful way. "Well, there's only one way to find out. I've got to win that tournament!"

He turned to look at me. "Can you hear my thoughts?" he asked.

I thought about lying for a second. I felt like a kid who'd been caught sneaking sweets out of a candy jar. I nodded. "Every single one," I said.

"Olive, you were right, your mom was compelled to move here for a reason," said Yami. "You were a high priestess who was born with powers. You guided me in ancient times. You were sent here to help me once again."

"That's a lot of responsibility for someone who can't even control her own powers," I said, frowning.

"We'll figure it out," said Yami. "I promise we will. Please, help me? Not only will I need my friends, but I must have you by my side as well."

I nodded without hesitation. "Of course I will help you," I said. "But there is no _way_ I am going to start calling you 'my pharaoh'."


	10. Battle City Tournament

Chapter Ten

When we left the museum and started walking towards the train station, no one knew was to say. Every person we passed flooded my mind with thoughts, although my head didn't hurt as badly when millennium items weren't involved.

"…she may have bored me with her hocus pocus story, but she was write about one thing. Yugi and I will face each other again…" I heard Seto Kaiba's thoughts. I shook my head. I didn't like hearing him. It made me sad.

"…I hope he knows what he's doing…" I heard Mokuba.

"There's no way I'll know how strong an Egyptian God card is unless I see it for myself," Kaiba thought.

Yami went home to get his invitation and then we went back out into the city.

"The invitation said that the tournament would be announced tonight," said Tea. "Ishizu was right."

"I don't know if everything she said is true, but I do know this: I must enter and win this tournament in order to fulfill my destiny," said Yami.

"Hmm," said Tea, worried. "Just promise me you'll be careful, Yami. And Olive, promise you'll be there to look out for him like Ishizu said. I'm sure there's still danger ahead."

"Yes, whoever's after the millennium puzzle is still out there," said Yami. He took out his deck. "But you must trust me. Both of you. This deck has never let me down before and as long as Yugi and I stay connected to one another, I am confident that we can use this deck to win the tournament."

I touched his arm, gently. "When you find out about your past, Yami, I will find out about mine too. Call me selfish if you want to, but we're connected. We're in this together. So please, Yami. Trust me too."

"And you can both count on my help!" said Tea, smiling.

Yami smiled and looked like he was about to respond to her, when laughter echoed through the air. The two of us jumped and looked around, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Did you hear that?" he thought, his eyes on me.

I nodded.

"Hey, what's the matter, you two? Is everything okay?" Tea asked.

"It's fine, Tea," I said.

"It was nothing," Yami added.

"Hey Yugi!" we heard a voice behind us. We turned. "There you are!"

"It's Mai," I said, surprised.

"Oh, joy," said Tea.

"I know you guys missed me," said Mai.

"It's such a shame we don't hang out more often," said Tea, sarcastically.

"Yes," she Mai, putting an arm around her shoulders. "It is. Isn't it? You're looking snazzy, Tea. Is this a date?"

"We're just friends, Mai," said Tea. "Besides Olive is here too."

"Three way dates are totally legit," said Mai, smirking.

"I assume you've come here for the tournament," said Yami.

"But of course," said Mai. "I presume you got an invitation also?"

"Yes, I did," said Yami, with a nod.

"You playing yet, Olive?" asked Mai.

I shook my head no. "My cards actually got stolen while I was in Egypt during the summer," I said.

"Damn," said Mai.

"My invitation didn't say who it was from," said Yami. "Do you know who's hosting this tournament?"

"I have no idea," said Mai. "It's a mystery. Nobody seems to know. Everyone else I've spoken to got an anonymous invitation. But, there is a buzz going around that it's someone with a ton of cash and an obnoxious attitude."

"I have a guess," I said, smiling.

Mai laughed. "I bet you do, don't you?" she asked. "You still dating him?"

"What do you mean?" asked Yami.

Mai smiled. "My guess is Kaiba," she said.

Yami's eyes widened slightly, although if you weren't watching him, you probably would never have noticed. "That must be why Ishizu told me to enter the tournament," I heard him think. "If the events of the past are to happen again, I must face Kaiba in this tournament." He looked at me, watching him, and sighed.

"What are you mumbling about?" asked Mai. "Anyway, nobody knows for sure who it is throwing this thing."

"I suppose we'll find out soon," said Yami.

"It's pretty safe to say it's not Pegasus again," I said.

"Speaking of Pegasus, this is beginning to look like Duelist Kingdom all over again," said Yami, glancing at several other duelists who were on the same street as us.

"You can say that again," said Mai, following Yami's gaze while Tea and I looked around. "There certainly are a lot of familiar faces in this crowd, most of whom I'm not too happy to see."

"Ugh, you're right," I said, making a face when I saw Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood.

"I don't know if you have to worry about Weevil talking to you, Olive," said Mai. "You almost broke his nose at Duelist Kingdom when you hit him in the face." She pointed. "Over there is Espa Roba. They say he uses psychic powers to duel."

"Mako's here too," said Tea.

"You would notice Mako," I teased.

"If what Mai said earlier is true, this tournament is going to have one new player," said Yami. "Kaiba was there at Duelist Kingdom, not officially."

All of the television screens on the buildings all around us went black. We looked up and Kaiba's face appeared.

"Speak of the devil," said Mai.

"The handsome, handsome devil," I added.

Mai exchanged a glance with me and we laughed.

"Greetings, duelists," said Kaiba, looking down at all of us from giant screens all over the city. "Welcome to the town of Domino, but more importantly, welcome to my tournament."

"I don't know which is bigger," said Mai. "His ego or his head on the big screen."

"His ego," I answered.

"Let's hear what Kaiba has to say," said Yami.

"I see you each received your private invite to Kaiba Corporation's very exclusive duel monsters tournament and you had enough brains to show up here tonight," he smirked as people started shouting in protest. "Being that you are all elite duelists, I've added special rules to my tournament just for experts," he continued. "For example, you will duel using these new improved duel disks." He showed us the duel disk on his arm. "Another new rule that I designed for the tournament is that before each duel, both players must put up their rarest card and the loser of the duel forfeits his card to the winner."

"Forfeit my dark magician?" Yami cried out in outrage.

"That means losing only one duel can ruin my deck," said Mai, frowning.

"My competition will make Pegasus and his duelist kingdom tournament look like a joke," Kaiba declared.

The air began to blow above us and everyone looked up. Kaiba was standing on the steps to his helicopter, which was hovering above us.

"Kaiba," Yami murmured.

"I knew you'd come, Yugi," I heard Kaiba think. "We'll see which one of us is really the number one duelist."

"Don't forget to register," Kaiba said aloud, "and pick up your duel disk because exactly one week from today, my Battle City Tournament begins." He glanced at me for a moment and I just smiled and shook my head.

"Battle city, huh?" I heard another voice. It was the same voice I'd heard the day the millennium puzzle was stolen. The voice was one that sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place who it belonged to. A laugh echoed through my mind. "How very convenient for us that so many of our targets have gathered together in one place. Not only will I have the pharaoh right where I need him but his high priestess is there too." My stomach twisted sickeningly. "Now, my rare hunters, go to the town of Domino at once!" He laughed once again and then my head was quiet.


	11. Entering Battle City Tournament

**A/N :: haha I'm bad at chapter names! But I hope you enjoy! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Particularly tikarose! It's always great to hear that the story is liked. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

At school on Monday, Joey was outraged when we told him about the tournament. We told him it started in less than a week and he began to yell about respect and how, as the runner up at duelist kingdom, he should have gotten an invitation.

"Newsflash, Joey," said Tristan. "Kaiba doesn't like you."

"I'll give him something not to like," said Joey.

"You know, this is exactly how he wants you to react," I pointed out.

Joey paused to think and then said, "You know, you've got a good point. Maybe I don't need to enter Kaiba's snooty competition." He turned to Yugi. "What about you, Yugi?" he asked. "Are you gonna enter the tournament?"

"I have to," said Yugi.

At the exact same time, I said, "He has to."

There was an awkward silence.

"That was weird," said Yugi. "Anyway, I just found out that entering Kaiba's Battle City tournament is the only way that I can achieve my destiny."

"Your destiny?" asked Joey. "What are you talking about?"

"It's kind of a long story," I said.

"I've got nowhere to go," said Joey.

"Alright," said Yugi. "Some kind of evil force is coming back from the past and I'm destined to enter this tournament and defeat it."

"What?" Joey gasped.

"Also, in a past life, Olive was the high priestess who guided me and helped me defeat this evil," Yugi added quickly.

"Then it's my destiny to help!" Joey declared. He took a card out of his jacket pocket, holding it up and declaring, "I've got just the card! I'm talking red eyes black dragon, folks!"

"So what you're saying is you've changed your mind again and now you _are_ gonna enter Kaiba's tournament?" asked Tristan, looking annoyed.

"That's what I'm saying alright," said Joey. "Yugi inspired me and with this baby in my deck, I got it made!" He kissed his red eyes black dragon card. "With my red eyes I'll put Kaiba to shame!"

"Didn't you learn your lesson the last time you dueled Kaiba?" asked Tea.

"Tea's right, Joey," said Yugi. "Your red eyes _is_ a powerful card, but it doesn't guarantee that you'll beat Kaiba."

"You've gotta remember, he has a lot of powerful cards too," I pointed out.

"Ehh, you're only standing up for him because you wanna get in his pants," said Joey.

"Is that why Yugi and Tea are standing up for him too?" I asked, irritated. "You know what…I've got a date anyway. I don't need Kaiba so you losers can stop teasing me about him."

"Joey, she misses him," said Tea, quietly. "Don't be so mean."

"I do _not_ miss _him_," I insisted, rolling my eyes. "You guys are crazy."

"Yea?" asked Tristan. "Then who are you going out with?"

"Um…" I said.

"Exactly what I thought," said Tristan.

"You don't have to make stuff up, Olive," said Tea. "We understand."

I frowned, unable to stand the pity in Tea's eyes or the teasing in Joey and Tristan's. I didn't even want to hear what Yugi _or_ Yami thought about the possibility of me dating Kaiba now that we knew he was some ancient evil sorcerer. But I was at loss for words, which was a very foreign feeling for me.

"Joey, you need to have some patience," said Yugi. "You should really get used to Kaiba's new advanced duel disc system first."

"The old ones were too advanced for me," said Joey, sounding upset.

It was a duel that I'd missed out on. Kaiba had slapped me on accident. It was on the same cheek where I had gotten a scar when a sharp tree branch had whipped me across the face, running through the forest. After Kaiba had slapped me, I'd left, too hurt and furious to be around anyone. While I was gone, Joey and Kaiba had dueled.

"You're a much better duelist now than you were then, Joey, but before you jump into another duel with Kaiba, you should practice with the new duel disc," said Yugi.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Joey. "I gotta try and sign up for this thing!"

We all walked to the registration office. While Joey and Tristan took off, Tea and I hung back with Yugi.

"Thanks for taking Yami to the Egyptian exhibit the other day, you guys," said Yugi. "I knew spending the day with you would help."

"I still can't believe that he was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh!" said Tea. "Or that Olive was a priestess."

"Yea, it's all pretty crazy," I said. I grinned. "At least now when people ask why I hear voices in my head I have a reasonable explanation: because I was an ancient Egyptian high priestess in a past life, of course."

They laughed.

"Yami saved the entire world too!" said Yugi. He seemed very proud of Yami and also relieved that they'd begun to find some answers. "Apparently you were there to help him, Olive. Yami seems really relieved that you're here this time around too."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

Yugi nodded. "Yea, he talked to me about it. He said he wished he knew more about the role you played in his past life, but that he was glad that you're here now. He's glad you're learning to control your powers."

I laughed, bitterly. "Control? Not so much. I can hear bits everyone's thoughts now, usually whenever I want to, but I can't stop thoughts from coming into my mind. I think I've been going into people's dreams too. Or seeing visions or something. As if I wasn't loony enough…"

"Yami thinks we should stick close together," said Yugi.

"Alright," I said. "As much as we can, when I'm not working or whatever."

Yugi smiled.

"Yugi doesn't seem worried at all," I heard Tea think. I looked over and studied her face. She'd become suddenly very serious and worried looking. "But if what Ishizu told us about the past is true, there's so much danger ahead!"

"It'll be okay," I said. Tea jumped and looked at me, but I looked quickly at Yugi to pretend I was talking to him. "We'll figure this all out."

"Tea, you know how one of Kaiba's new rules was that whoever wins the duel gets to take the losers rarest card?" asked Yugi. "On one hand, it's an awesome idea because the winner of the whole tournament gets the ultimate prize – a super deck made up of the rarest cards in duel monsters. But on the other hand, I put my heart into this deck. I don't want to lose any of my cards to another duelist, especially my dark magician." He sighed. "But, the fate of the whole world depends on Yami and me so I guess I'll play by whatever rules I have to." We stopped in front of a building, having finally caught up to Joey and Tristan, who were looking in the windows. "I think we sign up here," said Yugi.

"I know this tournament's gonna be really risky, but we'll all get through it together," I heard Tea think. I wanted to comfort her and reassure her that everything would be alright, but it made people uncomfortable when I revealed that I knew what they were thinking.

"May I be of some assistance?" asked the man behind the desk. He met my gaze for a second and I smiled uncomfortably. He looked away.

"Hi!" said Yugi, cheerfully. "We came to register for the Battle City tournament and get our duel disks."

"Well then, my young friends, you have entered the correct place. You're fortunate since I have three duel disks left on my shelf," he said. "But first I have to make sure you're qualified to register."

"Okay," said Yugi. "I'm Yugi Muto."

The man typed Yugi's name into his computer. "Alright, Yugi Muto," he said, typing in the name. "Not bad," he said, when a picture popped up on the screen. "You've got five stars. That's the highest rank."

"Where does this information come from?" asked Yugi.

The man turned his computer screen so we could see it. "Kaiba Corps performed extensive research on duelists around the world and compiled the results into a database. This shows your skill level and the rarest card you ever played in a duel. To ensure that only the best duelists enter, Mister Kaiba has gone to great lengths to learn everything about you and your decks."

Yugi and Joey gasped. "Everything?" Yugi asked. "Knowing every card in our decks gives an unfair advantage to Kaiba."

"That's not cool," said Tea.

"It's funny," I said, pointing at the screen. "It's actually a photo of Yami, not Yugi."

"What?" asked the man, looking confused.

"Don't listen to her, she's crazy," said Joey.

I smiled. "Yea, don't mind me," I said, pointing at my head. "Split personalities."

He smiled politely. "Oh, I doubt that, Miss Reynolds," he said.

"How do you know my last name?" I asked.

He smiled, this time not so politely. "I work for Seto Kaiba, miss. Do you think we never hear your name?" He handed Yugi the box containing his duel disk. "As promised, since you qualified to enter, you get this. It's Kaiba Corps new and improved duel disk system."

"Awesome. Thank you," said Yugi.

Joey pushed Yugi out of the way as he stepped up to the desk. "I wanna register also," he said. "Joey Wheeler's the name."

The man typed in his name. "I'm sorry," he said. "You've only got one star. Your ranking is much too low to enter."

"That can't be!" Joey exclaimed. "Kaiba fixed those results! I came in second at Duelist Kingdom!" he yelled, punching at the air.

Tristan grabbed his arms. "Just calm down, Joey," he said. "Quit having a cow."

"It is weird that he doesn't qualify," Tea commented.

Joey began to stomp his feet and try to pull away from Tristan.

"He's gonna burst a blood vessel," said Tristan.

"He holds the rare red eyes black dragon," I heard the shop keeper think. For a moment, I thought he had spoken. This was going to take some getting used to. "My master will surely be interested." He looked up and saw me looking at him. I quickly looked away.

"Relax, Joey," said Tea.

"I can't believe he did this!" said Joey.

"You can't?" I asked. "Really? Cuz he used to be pretty nice to me and even I know he's a jerk."

"There must be an explanation," said Yugi.

"So, you want to duel, Joey Wheeler…" I heard the man think.

"I'm sorry, Joey," he said, out loud. "It appears my hard drive was malfunctioning and you actually have four stars. Congratulations. You qualify."

Everyone looked surprised, but I felt a little uneasy about the whole thing.

"Yea!" Joey cheered.

"Best of luck," said the man, handing him a duel disk.

"Come to papa!" said Joey, grabbing it from him. He laughed.

Tea smiled and laughed along with him.

"Way to keep your cool, Joey," said Tea, sarcastically.

"Thanks," said Joey, as we left.

I turned to look over my shoulder at the shop keeper. He was watching us go, talking on the phone.


	12. Drinks and Dreams

Chapter Twelve

On the way home, Joey left us to go meet his sister, Serenity, at the hospital. Her operation was the next day and he had promised to spend the night there with her.

"I hope he's alright," said Tristan, after Joey had run off. "Going to that hospital's not an easy thing for him to do. Joey's mother's going to be at that hospital too, guys. She's the one who separated Joey and Serenity when they were kids. He hasn't spoken to his mother since."

"No way," said Yugi, sounding shocked. "But that means that Joey hasn't seen or spoken to his mother in nearly seven years."

"Damn," I said, quietly. "I can't imagine even a day without talking to my mom."

"I'll make sure the Wheeler family is reunited once again!" Tristan declared.

"Aren't you getting a little carried away there, Tristan?" asked Tea.

"Not if he's trying to be a hero to impress Joey's sister Serenity," said Yugi, trying not to smile.

Tristan got a nervous look on his face and then said, "Well I'm starving. Who else wants to go out for dinner?"

"I'm gonna call Bakura," I said. "He might want to meet us for some food."

"You know, I never thought of it before," said Tristan, happy with the chance to get the attention off him, "but you spend a lot of time with Bakura, don't you Olive?"

"So?" I asked, as the phone rang.

"So maybe that's why you're not quite so sad about not dating Kaiba, huh?" Tristan teased. "You're in love with Bakura!"

I blushed. "I am not!" I protested. I didn't hear Bakura answer the phone. "He's my friend. That's all."

"Ah, but we can be more than that, darling. You and I both know that offer has always been open," said Bakura, in a dark voice that I had only heard him speak in when the evil spirit of the millennium ring had overtaken him.

I jumped and almost dropped my phone.

"Hello? Olive?" he asked in a perfectly normal voice. "Are you there?"

Maybe I really was going crazy.

"Hello?" he repeated.

"Oh, h-hi, Bakura," I said, the wave of shock leaving me. "I'm sorry, something just startled me. Anyway, I'm downtown with Tea and Tristan and Yugi. Did you want to meet us for dinner?"

"Sure," said Bakura. "Where are you guys at? I'll just catch a cab."

I handed the phone to Tristan so that he could give Bakura the address of the restaurant. He met us there and we all sat down to eat.

We were talking and laughing, about halfway through with dinner, when the scar on my right forearm began to hurt a little bit. I looked down after rubbing it and scratching it a couple of times. My eyes widened and I quickly hid it with my other hand. My scar was glowing in the same way that Yami's forehead began to glow sometimes. When I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, I saw Bakura watching me form across the table. He smiled a little.

I tried to smile back.

* * *

That night, after dropping Yugi off at his house, Bakura walked me home.

"You feeling alright, Olive?" he asked. "You look a little…strange."

"Gee, thanks," I said, laughing. "Just what every girl wants to hear."

"Alright, you look a little…beautiful," he said. "Better?"

I smiled at him. "Thanks," I said.

We got to my house and I invited him in for drinks. I mixed some drinks, hoping my mom wouldn't notice that some of her vodka was missing. The two of us went up into my room. I set the tray with the drinks on it on one of the end tables by my couch and then I slipped out of my jeans and pulled my shirt over my head. I turned away from Bakura and undid my bra. I pulled a huge t-shirt over my head and pulled on a pair of very short cotton shorts.

I walked over to my bed where Bakura was sitting on and sat down on the floor. He handed me my drink.

"We need to hang out more," I told him. I took a big sip of my drink. I hadn't had alcohol in a long time. Since I was a kid, I'd always been allowed to drink wine with my dinner if I wanted to. Since alcohol had never really been a big deal in my house, I had grown up not caring as much as some kids did about partying and getting drunk. "I feel like I never see you anymore."

He smiled. "I would love that," he said. "I've just been really busy with school and work."

"I can tell my mom to give you less hours," I joked, taking another drink.

He laughed. "I'm afraid I like the money way too much, Olive," he said.

I stuck out my lower lip, poutily. "You like money more than hanging out with me?" I asked. My head was getting fuzzy. "Geeze," I murmured. "I have really lost my tolerance for alcohol. I never used to get buzzed this fast."

"It might be because you're tired too," Bakura suggested.

"No more vodka for me ever," I declared. "It's making me…making me all tired and shit." I crawled over to the bed and kneeled up, placing my elbows on Bakura's thighs. I smiled up at him. "Tequila's more fun," I said, in a sing-song voice. "It doesn't…make you sleepy. It just makes you lose your in-hib-it-ions," I sounded out every syllable.

Bakura smiled.

"Maybe you should go to bed," he said.

"Probably," I mumbled. My drink was about three-fourths of the way gone already. I hadn't realized I'd drunk so much so fast. "Maybe I should…" I tried to stand up and stumbled forward a little bit. I caught myself on Bakura.

"Give us a kiss," he said, his normal voice laced with the darker one.

"Your voice," I said. "You sound…" But I couldn't find the right word. I leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed me back, shyly at first, but then harder.

My head spun and I pulled away from him. "Maybe I should lie down," I said. Everything in my room looked far away for some reason. Slowly, I lay down on my bed, fighting to keep my eyes opened. "I'm sorry, Kura," I said, in a quiet, breathy voice. "I didn't realize my tolerance sucked so bad." I laughed a little. "My mom's gonna be pissed in the morning," I said in a sing-songy voice.

"Where's your mother tonight?" asked Bakura.

"She's at some, some business convention or something for a couple of days," I said. I sat back up and reached for the keys on my side table. "Can you lock the door on your way out?" I asked Bakura.

He lay down and pulled me down next to him. He kissed the scar on my face. "Mmm," he said. "Remember when you got this scar?" he asked.

"The spirit drank my blood," I heard myself say. I lay back on the pillow and closed my eyes. "She said I was a high priestess, Kura."It didn't occur to me that I hadn't talked ot him about my meeting with Ishizu. "I don't think evil spirits are supposed to drink the blood of high priestesses. It's weird, don't you think?"

When I opened my eyes and looked at Bakura, I could have sworn I saw that familiar dark smile.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll take care of you."

I fought the tiredness that was overtaking me. Even as my eyes slid shut, I could feel myself struggling to stay awake. I could feel Bakura lean over me. His finger traced the scar on my arm. There was a sharp pain that seemed to strike every part of my body, and then I fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

_"She returns to us from across the sea with gifts that she promised the Pharaoh many years ago," Ishizu spoke to several other people. The stone walls of the room were carved with symbols and pictures. "She is a girl of amazing power. I believe she will stay in our country and she will help the Pharaoh in all things. She is a guide and a very powerful sorceress. We must protect her from any evils that may threaten her."_

_My own voice echoed through my head. "All my journeys begin by crossing the sea." I had told Yami that a few days ago._

_"Thieves will come seeking the power she holds," said Ishizu. She looked at one person in particular. He was a guy who didn't look much older than me. He had a hood over his head. "The most powerful sorcerers will do anything to manipulate her. Watch out for her, brother. We have sworn to protect her since we were children."_

_"Thank you, Ishizu, but I can take care of myself," came another voice. A familiar voice. My voice. I watched myself walk through a doorway. I was dressed in a long, white toga-style dress. There were two gold chains on dress, one right above my waist and a second around my hips. My hair was a mass of curls done up beautifully on top of my head. I had gold bands on my wrists, gold ribbons and white pearls braided through my hair, and a gold bracelet around my ankle. My feet were bare. My dark green eyes were lined thickly in black. There was still a scar across my cheek and where the scar on my right forearm was, was a tattoo of the eye symbol._

_Ishizu bowed her head and said, "Olive, how wonderful to see you again. You have grown."_

_"Have I?" I asked. "I have hardly noticed. But then, day to day, you rarely do." I looked at the man she had called her brother and I nodded at him. "I have missed you both," I said. _

_"Regardless of the confidence you have in yourself, we will be watching for you," Ishizu insisted. _

_I smiled slightly. "If you insist," I said. "But I must go. The Pharaoh and I have much to discuss and my trunks have only just been delivered to my room." With another look at Ishizu's brother, I said, "Would you care to walk with me?" Without waiting to see if he followed, I turned and left._


	13. The Tournament Begins

Chapter Thirteen

When I woke up, I was in still laying in Bakura's arms. He was asleep. I slipped quietly away from him and pulled on a pair of short denim shorts and a black t-shirt. I pulled on a pair of black combat boots. I threw some makeup, my wallet, my straightening iron, the book Tea had bought me, a water bottle, and two apples. Without waking up Bakura, I slipped out the door and hurried down the street to Yugi's house.

Yugi's grandfather was sweeping out front. I smiled at the consistency of his morning ritual.

"Good morning, Mister Muto," I said. "Do you care if I go upstairs and bother Yugi?"

He smiled. "No, of course not, Olive," he said. "Tell him he needs to make time for his chores though. It's a sad day when an old man has to do his grandson's chores."

"I'll let him know," I said. I went inside and hurried up the stairs. "Yugi!" I called, with a quick knock on the door. I opened the door and walked in before he could give me permission. Yugi was standing in front of a large mirror. Both his reflection and Yami were reflected back to him.

"Olive, what are you doing here?" asked Yugi.

"I promised Yami we'd stick together," I said. "Ishizu seemed to think it was a smart idea." I closed the door behind me. "This mirror thing is a trip," I told him, going to stand next to him. In the mirror, Yami was standing in between us. "Hi, Yami," I said.

"Hello, Olive," I heard him in my mind. "I'm glad that you're here."

"I am too," said Yugi out loud.

I smiled at them.

"You've assembled a powerful deck," Yami said to Yugi.

"What if it's not good enough to win?" asked Yugi looking worried.

"It has to be," I told him.

"There comes a time when there's nothing left to do but believe in the deck you created," said Yami. "This tournament is unlike any challenge we've ever faced before. The fate of the world depends on us, so you've got to be strong and trust in your cards."

"But there's still so much that we don't know," said Yugi.

"We'll figure it out," I told him. I opened one of his drawers and pulled out one of the thick, black bracelets Yugi often wore around his wrists. I buckled one on each wrist.

"Our destiny will reveal itself when the time is right," said Yami. "According to Ishizu, an ancient evil force will return to threaten the world and you and I must defeat it by winning Kaiba's Battle City Tournament with this deck. If you believe in the heart of the cards, you can unlock the secrets of the past and save the world."

Yugi smiled. "Yea," he said. "We can do this!"

"Yes we can," said Yami. "But it won't be easy." He looked at me. "I am grateful to have you here, Olive."

I nodded. "I'll help in anyway I can," I told him.

"I'm ready to face whoever or whatever we have to," said Yugi. "You stood by me and helped me rescue my grandpa from Pegasus and now it's my turn to stand by you. I promise you and I will work together to figure out your past. You already saved the world once five thousand years ago, but there was one difference then. You had to do it alone, but this time you have me by your side to help you."

"Thank you," said Yami.

Yugi slid his deck into his pocket and did his belt up around his hips. His features grew serious.

"You ready for this, Olive?" he asked me.

"More than ready," I assured him. "If Ishizu wants me here to help Yami than you can bet I'll be with you both as much as I possibly can."

"Thank you," said Yugi. "And nice bracelets."

I smirked. "Oh, I borrowed them from a good friend," I said.

Yugi pulled on his jacket and we left the house together, after saying goodbye to his grandfather. We went into town and were walking, keeping out eye out for Joey, when Yugi pulled out a clear card.

"What's that?" I asked.

"This clear card was in the same package as the duel disk," said Yugi. "It looks like some sort of map."

"Where's the rest of it?" I asked him.

Yugi shrugged. "It must be another new twist Kaiba threw into his tournament," he said.

"Yugi!" we heard someone call. "Olive!" Mai ran up to us, all smiles.

"Hey, Mai," said Yugi cheerfully.

She gave me a hug and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

"Pretty big turnout for this thing, huh?" she asked, looking around. "All _losers_."

"Well, there's a lot of duelists here I've never seen before," Yugi pointed out.

Mai jumped in excitement. "Oh! This is so exciting!" she squealed. "I wonder whose butt I should kick first in this tournament." We linked arms. Mai and I had become friends when we were at Duelist Kingdom. Even after the tournament there was through, we'd kept in touch through email.

"Yugi, I thought I'd see you buzzing around," said another voice.

The three of us turned.

"Well, if it isn't Rex Raptor and Weevil," said Mai. "I thought I smelled something."

"I'll never forget how you played me like a chump at Duelist Kingdom, Mai," said Rex, scowling. "Now it's payback time."

Weevil laughed. "And, Yugi, next time we duel, you won't be so lucky. My deck is infested with swarms of rare and powerful insects," he said. He began to laugh.

Mako Tsunami grabbed him around the neck from behind. "Those are large words coming from such a small guppy," he said. He let Weevil go.

"Mako Tsunami," said Yugi.

"Hello, Yugi," he said. He smiled confidently at Mai and me. "Hello, ladies. I remember seeing both your beautiful faces at Duelist Kingdom."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mako," Mai sneered.

Mako ignored her. "Are you playing in the tournament, Olive?" he asked me.

"I don't know why everyone asks me if I'm playing games suddenly," I said, smiling a little. "Does it look like I have a duel disk? I'm just here to support Yugi."

"And me," said Mai. "Olive is going to be cheering for me when I win this thing."

"If anyone is going to make any waves in this tournament, it will be me," Mako declared.

Mai rolled her eyes.

"You think you'll win this tournament?" Weevil demanded.

"Of course," said Mako. "There's nothing that can withstand my mighty denizens of the deep."

"Your sardines will be crushed by my dino horde," said Rex, folding his arms and smirking arrogantly.

"Don't be so sure," said Mako. "My brand new fortress whale card is much mightier than your two headed king rex."

"Well, I have a monster far superior to my great moth, but don't think I'll tell you what it is," said Weevil.

Mako grabbed him by the jacket and began to shake him. "Well, maybe I can just shake it out of you, Weevil," he said.

"Ugh," said Mai, running her fingers through her hair. "Some duelists just never change."

"If I remember correctly, you were the first one sent paddling from duelist kingdom," said Mako, but everyone suddenly sounded far away. The buzz of the crowd grew quieter.

Confused, I looked around and saw a man in a black cloak sitting in the café closest to us. He was looking at a computer and sipping some tea. He looked up at me. He seemed confused that I had noticed him for a moment. Then he slowly nodded his head and greeting and held up his cup to me.

"Yugi, Olive, I think I'll head off," said Mai, snapping me back to reality. Mako, Weevil, and Rex had already left. "Olive, we need to get together sometime after this and go shopping or something. Remember, Yugi, next time we meet, we're rivals."

"Right," said Yugi, nodding. "Good luck, Mai."

I pulled the two apples out of my backpack and handed one to Yugi as we walked. We walked up the stairs so that we were on the room of one building. "You've gotta keep your strength up," I told him.

"Thanks," he said, gratefully. "I wonder where Joey is," he said. "I thought Tea would be here too, but I'm sure she'll show up later. Kaiba should be announcing the start of the Battle City Tournament any second now, but I haven't seen a trace of Joey and we've looked everywhere. I hope he shows up before this starts. Thank you for being here for me, Olive."

"Of course," I told Yugi. "We left for Duelist Kingdom together, it only makes sense that we begin Battle City together, especially after learning about my connection with Yami."

"Greetings, duelists!" a loud voice was projected all over the city. "Welcome to Battle City." A shadow passed over us and we looked up to see a huge blimp in the sky. There was a giant screen on the side and Kaiba's face was on it. He was speaking.

Yugi ran over to the edge of the building and I followed, right as Kaiba's giant head passed us. He looked at the two of us and laughed. "It's time to put your dueling skills to the test," said Kaiba. "I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. Battle City's gonna be an all out war. Before my Battle City tournament begins, I thought I'd let you all know what you're in for, in case you wanna back out now. Let's begin with my new duel disk. With it you can duel anytime anywhere and they contain a tracking chip that will allow me to see every move you make." He lifted his arm to insert his deck in his own duel disk. "Next, let's talk about the most important tournament rule. The loser of each duel is required to fork over their rarest card," he held up his blue eyes white dragon card as an example, "to the winner. If you don't have the guts to risk your rarest card, then I suggest you forfeit now."

"He is such a prick," I said, shaking my head at the sight of his huge, obnoxious face on the screen.

"And anyone who's foolish enough can challenge me to a duel," Kaiba continued. "I'll also be competing in this tournament."

"Thought so," said Yugi.

"But don't get your hopes up because I intend to win. And there's one duelist out there I can't wait to defeat," he said.

"You're on, Kaiba," said Yugi, determinedly.

"And speaking of winning, only the eight best duelists will make it to the final round," said Kaiba. "The finals will be held in a hidden location." Kaiba held up a clear card like the one Yugi and I had been looking at earlier. "In order to find the finals, you'll need these locator cards," said Kaiba. "You've each received one with your duel disk, but don't get too excited cuz one's not enough. You'll need six of them to make it to the tournament finals. Every time you win a duel, you get a locator card from the losing opponent. When the six cards are stacked together, they produce a map of Battle City and activate a global positioning satellite which will transmit the location to you. But the tournament finals are a long ways away and most of you will be eliminated before that. Alright, everything I just said and more can be found in my tournament rule book. Just remember, only one player can win and claim the title of best duelist in the whole world."

"That'll be you, Yugi," I said.

"Now get ready duelists," said Kaiba. "Let the tournament begin."

We heard cheers erupt from the city below us and we exchanged looks.

"Well," said Yugi. "It's time to face my destiny."

We had just turned to leave when we heard Joey on the street below us.

"Where are you, you creep?" he was shouting.

"What's he doing?" asked Yugi.

I looked at where Joey was walking. It was right to the café where the strange man sipping tea had been. An uneasiness crept into my stomach and I frowned.

"So much prey, so little time. Who should I hunt first?" I heard the man think to himself as he studied his computer screen. I closed my eyes and for a second I could see the computer screen. He was looking through pictures of the duelists with their rank and a picture of their rarest card beside their picture. Sitting beside him on the table, his teacup on one corner of it, was a photograph that sent me from uneasiness and almost into panic. It was a picture of me. I was kneeling in the sand at the excavation site in Egypt, a hat on my head, carefully brushing off something I'd found while digging.

"Who is this?" I wondered quietly.

"Let's go," said Yugi, turning and racing down the stairs.

I followed him.

We raced down the street and when we reached the reached café, Joey was shouting at the man about a rematch.

"Joey, what's going on?" Yugi called. "What are you yelling about?" He stopped, looking surprised when he saw the man.

"Yugi Muto," I heard the man think. "He has the item my master desires."

"Don't let the millennium puzzle out of your sight," I murmured quietly to Yugi. "This guy…"

"He's wearing the same robe Bandit Keith was wearing when he stole my m millennium puzzle a while ago," Yugi said, just as quietly to me.

"I think whoever he's working for is who is after your millennium puzzle, Yugi," I said. "I'll stop him if he tries anything."

"Don't get yourself hurt, Olive," I heard Yami think at me.

"I won't," I said.

"That's one of the goons who swiped my red eyes!" said Joey, angrily, pointing at him. "They call themselves rare hunters," said Joey. The night before, Joey had almost missed his sister's operation because he'd been stopped by some men who forced him to duel and then beat him up. His bruises had healed quickly, although there was still one visible on his left cheekbone. "To me, all this translates into is cape wearing, card stealing freaks. This one owes me a rematch so I can win back my red eyes black dragon."

"I've already told you, you have nothing in your deck that's of use to me," said the man. "I'm simply not interested. But perhaps your friend would be interested in being my next victim," he said, walking out from behind the table. "It would be my pleasure to hunt the Duelist Kingdom champion and snare his dark magician. So I challenge Yugi Muto to a duel."

"Look, this between you and me!" Joey argued.

"Joey, wait," said Yugi. "Fine, rare hunter," he said. "I accept your challenge."

"But Yugi," said Joey.

"It's the only way to get back your red eyes black dragon," said Yugi. "I promise you, I'll beat him, Joey.

The millennium puzzle began to glow and Yami stood before us instead. "So do we have a deal, rare hunter?" he demanded. "As my first Battle City opponent, if you lose you must return Joey's red eyes black dragon. If you win this duel, I'll hand over my dark magician to you."

"Yugi, there's no way I can let you risk your dark magician," Joey protested. "I'll never forgive myself if that jerk takes your most valuable card. I'll deal with this…"

"Thank you, Joey, but I can handle this rare hunter," said Yami. "I'll have to risk losing my dark magician eventually. This is my first Battle City duel and the first step in fulfilling my destiny."

"It'll be okay, Joey," I said, the seriousness of the entire situation hitting me. "I'll be watching out for him."

"Let's get on with this hunt already," the dark hunter snarled. "The sooner I can claim my prize, the better."

"I'm ready to duel whenever you are, rare hunter," Yami said.

"Yugi, wait…" Joey began.

"Joey, don't," I said.

"Yes, listen to the pretty little girl," said the rare hunter, chuckling. "Don't even think about revealing my strategy, Joey Wheeler. If you say a word about how I defeated you, I'll tear your red eyes black dragon to shreds. I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you and allow me to stalk the Duelist Kingdom champion and take his dark magician without your commentary."

"Fine," said Yami. "We'll duel one-on-one." Yami activated the hologram imagers on his duel disk. The rare hunter did the same.

"Let's duel," they said at the same time.


	14. Duel: Yugi vs The Rare Hunter

Chapter Fourteen

A crowd gathered once the duel started. I stood a little off to the side with Joey, my arms folded and a frown on my face.

"You okay, Olive?" asked Joey.

"Huh?" I asked. "Yea, I'm fine. I'm just worried. I'm trying to concentrate on thoughts, but it's hard with so many people here."

Joey shook his head. "Sometimes I'm grateful that you're crazy," he said.

"I draw first," said Yami. "Now get ready."

I studied the rare hunter's face as he drew, doing everything I could to try and focus on his thoughts and entering his mind. It was as if there was something blocking my powers. I could feel pressure trying to push me away from his mind.

"Yugi…" Joey started.

I touched his arm and shook my head.

Joey grimaced. Staying quiet about whatever he knew was really hard for him.

"First I'll place two cards face down," said Yami. "Then I'll summon beta the magnet warrior in attack mode. Can you handle my newest monster?"

"What is that?" I heard someone in the crowd ask the man he was standing with.

"It's obviously a big yellow magnet with eyeballs," his friend replied.

I smiled a little bit.

"My first card," said the rare hunter, drawing his first card, "will be just what I suspected. Graceful charity let's me draw three cards and I discard two."

Even without being able to read the man's mind, I could see something in his eyes that was untrustworthy.

"He's cheating somehow, huh?" I asked Joey.

Joey looked like he was going to answer me, but then he shut his mouth.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I cleared my mind until I saw nothing and then pictured the rare hunter. I pictured him behind a clear door. I pictured myself walking forward to unlock it. The thoughts came so quickly and unexpectedly that, for a moment, I felt like I'd walked right into a swimming pool without realizing it was in front of me.

"…only two more pieces left," I heard him think.

"If you only knew what was waiting, you'd forfeit now and relinquish your rare dark magician," he taunted Yami out loud.

I kept my eyes shut, focusing. I needed to practice more.

"Never," said Yami. He played a trap card called light of intervention to reveal all of the rare hunter's hidden monsters on the field.

"Doesn't matter," said the rare hunter. He set down a card in defense mode.

Yami sacrificed his magnet warrior and played two cards, which he fused together to create a monster called chimera the flying mythical beast. Yami threatened to kill his monster next turn and then attack his life points directly.

"Forget about what's on the field. Worry about what's in his hand," I heard Joey think.

"Joey, would you mind thinking a little more quietly?" I asked. I smirked, but kept my eyes shut.

"Sorry," said Joey. "I'm really worried. You let me know the second you can tell who's going to win."

"Of course," I said.

"Impressive, but you'll need more than that for what I've got in store for you," said the rare hunter.

"Listen, Yugi, he plans to destroy you. Check out that grin on his ugly face," said Joey. "This is exactly what the creep did to me. He's got something in his hand that's gonna…"

"Silence, Wheeler!" The rare hunter snapped, very angrily. Being so close to his mind, I could feel the anger almost flooding myself as well. "One more word out of you and you can say goodbye to your red eyes forever!"

I took a deep breath and pushed the feelings away.

"I'll end my turn by placing this card face down on the field," said Yami.

"I predict another graceful charity," said the rare hunter, drawing his card. "Imagine that, he said, playing the card. I was correct." He played the card and then drew three more cards and discarded two.

"How does he know what card he'll draw next?" I heard Yami think.

"Excellent, I now have four Exodia pieces," I heard the rare hunter think. "I only need one more to summon the beast that will obliterate Yugi in one attack. He's about to lose his dark magician forever!"

"Rare hunters," another voice flooded my mind, catching me off guard. It took me a moment to realize it was Kaiba. "They took my bait. It's just as I planned."

"Yugi, your dark magician is as good at mine," the rare hunter declared.

"…with the help of some invisible ink and my x-ray contact lens…" I heard the rare hunter think.

Shocked, I snapped out of concentration for a while, my eyes snapping open.

"So that's how he's cheating," I murmured.

"What?" asked Joey.

I shook my head and focused again.

"Now I'll strengthen my defenses," said the rare hunter. To protect himself, he played something called a moving fortress. It had too many defense points for Yugi's chimera to destroy.

"You may be able to defend your life points with fortresses and stone walls, but in order for you to win this, you eventually have to attack me," Yami pointed out. "So what are you waiting for?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Yugi," said the rare hunter. "So go ahead and make your move. The hunter will strike his prey when the time is right."

"Hey, Yugi," Joey burst out, running forward.

I opened my eyes again and tried to grab Joey. He knocked my hand out of the way.

"Hold it, I can't stand by and watch this," said Joey. "No way! I won't let you lose your dark magician for me."

"That's enough, Joey!" Yami snapped. "You must not reveal the rare hunter's strategy. You're my friend and I'm fighting this duel for you just like you would for me. Do you remember the time Weevil threw my Exodia cards into the ocean? You risked your life to try and get my cards back. It wasn't just because Exodia is one of the most powerful cards in the game, but because I was a friend in need."

Yami's eyes widened ever so slightly. I never would have noticed if I wasn't looking at his face.

"Exodia!" he thought. "That's it! This rare hunter is drawing cards until he can assemble all five pieces of Exodia." Yami smiled and I wanted to cheer.

"I'm onto you," said Yami. "I know your strategy, rare hunter! You're planning to summon Exodia the Forbidden One!"

The rare hunter gaped in astonishment. "No!" he cried out in his mind. "How does he know?" he looked at me. "Her powers should not be that advanced. Did that little witch find a way to tell him somehow?"

I shook my head ever so slightly, just enough that he would notice. It made me a little uneasy that he knew I had powers, though. I had no idea who he could have gotten that kind of information from.

"Thank you Joey, you helped me figure out his strategy without actually telling me," said Yami.

"Even if you know my strategy, it doesn't matter," the rare hunter declared. "Everyone knows that Exodia is the most powerful monster in duel monsters. How will you stop the unstoppable?"

"True, no one has ever defeated Exodia," said Yami, confidently. "But in order to win back Joey's dragon, I'll be the first."

"Give up, Yugi," said the rare hunter. "My hunt is over."

"I may have discovered his strategy to summon Exodia, but I still have to find a way to stop it," I heard Yami think. Even while he was all confidence and composure on the outside, his thoughts seemed a little nervous.

"You can do this, Yami," I told him. "Just remember to have faith."

"I can't wait to see Yugi squirm when he faces the same Exodia he used to defeat me," I heard Kaiba think.

"Kaiba's watching the duel," I said to Joey. "His thoughts are driving me crazy."

"Hey, just stay focused, Olive," said Joey. "Maybe you can help Yugi."

Yami attacked one of the defenses, but the rare hunter brushed it off. He went to draw another card, when Yugi activated a trap card that stopped the rare hunter from drawing any cards.

"This duel is far form over, rare hunter," said Yami.

"A desperate move for my desperate prey," the rare hunter commented nonchalantly.

Yami drew another card. It was a card called light force sword and it destroyed one of the pieces of Exodia. Then Yami sacrificed chimera for his summoned skull. Yami attacked the remaining monster defending the rare hunter.

The rare hunter drew another card.

"You no longer have any monsters to defend you," said Yami. "Looks like this is a whole new game."

The rare hunter threw his head back and began to laugh like a crazy person.

"What's with that guy?" Joey murmured.

"A whole new game, Yugi?" asked the rare hunter, skeptically. "Do you really think you can stop me with one card?"

"I do," said Yami.

"A professional card hunter like me is prepared for any situation," said the rare hunter. He played the swords of revealing light.

"No!" Yami cried out.

"Now you cannot attack me for three turns," said the rare hunter. "And once your light force sword wears off, I'll have the fifth piece of Exodia and I'll be able to summon the beast."

"Come on, Yugi," said Joey. "You've got to get to him before he gets to that last piece of Exodia."

"It's about time Yugi felt what it's like to face Exodia," I heard Kaiba sneer in my head.

"I'm gonna kill him," I whispered. "What an asshole."

"It's my turn," said Yami. "I'll draw one card and end my turn."

"That's all you can do," said the rare hunter. "You've been reduced to watching your own duel. You're unable to attack. You're unable to even make a move. I should just end your misery. Why wait for your sword to wear off when I can just draw another arm? Exodia cards are so rare that most duelists never even see one, but I have three copies of each piece of Exodia in my deck. There are two more arms just waiting in my deck."

Yami smiled.

"Hey, what's so funny?" he demanded.

"Your deck is loaded down with so many Exodia body parts that the odds of drawing the right arm is slim to none," said Yami.

"We'll just see," said the rare hunter.

"Your mistake is that you're relying on one good monster when a good dueling deck requires the right balance of cards," said Yami.

"Come on, Yugi, you can do it, buddy!" said Joey.

Yami played one card face down and summoned another magnet warrior in attack mode.

"Did you forget about my swords of revealing light? You can't attack," said the rare hunter.

"Not yet," said Yami. "But when I destroy your swords, all my monsters will be waiting to attack. You need more cards to destroy my monsters, but all you have in your hands are Exodia cards. You're not defended at all. Once your swords wear off, I can directly attack your life points."

"Wishful thinking," said the rare hunter, although he did look a little more nervous. "It's over, Yugi."

"Take him down!" Joey called.

"You can do it, Yami!" I cheered.

"There's no way you'll summon Exodia in time," said Yami.

"You forget your monsters are trapped in my swords of revealing light and it's my turn," said the rare hunter, drawing another card.

"I bet it's a duplicate Exodia card," Yami taunted.

"It makes no difference to me," said the rare hunter. "Your light force sword will soon disappear, allowing me to access the final piece of Exodia, which gives me an automatic win."

"Not soon enough," said Yami.

"What is Yugi does discover some trick to destroy my swords of revealing light?" I heard the rare hunter think. I closed my eyes. "My life points will be devastated unless I defend with a monster of my own. Each individual piece of Exodia is also a monster card, so I can defend myself with my double of Exodia's head."

"Get your eyes open, witch!" he shouted, hatefully. At first I didn't realize he was talking to me, but then I looked at him. "That's right," he said, "my master has told me all about _you_. Now stay out of my mind."

"Then keep your mind closed," I shot back, my voice full of spite even though I was completely caught off guard with what he'd said.

He glared at me and then summoned Exodia's head in defense mode.

Yami smirked. "That's exactly what I wanted you to do," he said. "You activated my trap card! A costly mistake!" Yami's trap card revealed itself. It was a card called chain destruction which would destroy all of the Exodia heads in his hand and in his deck. "All of your Exodia heads have been taken from your hand and from your deck. With the heads gone, you can no longer summon all five pieces that you need to summon Exodia." Yami smiled.

"That's impossible!" I heard the rare hunter cry out in his mind. Yami's skill had caught him so off guard that he wasn't keeping his mind closed anymore.

"That's not all," said Yami. "I have also found away around your swords of revealing light!" He activated another trap card called dust tornado. The card would destroy one magic card, which shattered the swords of revealing light. With an excited, confident smile, Yami said, "Next, I'll play monster reborn and bring back chimera! Chimera, destroy the final Exodia head!"

The rare hunter cried out in anger and shock.

"Now your life points are defenseless against my attack," said Yami. "I play alpha the magnet warrior and summoned skull! Summoned skull's electricity raises alpha's attack power by two hundred points. Now, my monsters, attack the rare hunter's life points!"

Alpha the magnet warrior attacked and the rare hunter's life points were reduced to zero. He fell to the ground with the impact of the attack.


	15. Introduction to Evil

Chapter Fifteen

"Yea, Yugi! You won!" Joey cheered. Everyone in the crowd began to shout congratulations to Yami.

I ran forward and hugged him. "I knew you could do it," I told him.

The three of us walked forward and Yami began to look through his deck. "I'm taking the red eyes black dragon and your locator card," said Yami. "You won't need to enter the finals now." Yami looked down at the deck, confused. "Something's rubbing off on my fingers," he said. "All these cards are marked."

"He was cheat!" said Joey.

"I told you he was cheating," I said.

"Not anymore!" said Yami, angrily. He tore the Exodia cards to pieces.

"He knew I was reading his mind, Yami," I said.

We looked down at the rare hunter and his finger twitched a little.

"I lost," he said, surprised. "I failed. Forgive me master! I tried my best!" He suddenly jerked up to a sitting position. "No! Please don't be angry!" He stood up and put his hands to his head. He began to scream. I stepped forward, mostly out of concern, but Yami grabbed me and pulled me back. "No master, don't! Please, spare me!"

"That psycho's lost his mind," said Joey.

"I've seen this before," said Yami.

The rare hunter's forehead glowed with an all too-familiar symbol and both of us gasped and stepped forward. My head exploded in a pain so intense, I cried out. It was all I could do to keep from screaming and falling to the ground. It took a minute for me to fight it down to a level that I could tolerate.

"We meet again, Pharaoh," the rare hunter spoke, but it wasn't his voice. It was the strange, slightly familiar voice I'd been hearing in my head over the past few weeks. "Do you remember me, Pharaoh? Actually perhaps you don't. You were trapped in the puzzle when I dueled little Yugi." The rare hunters eyes were glazed over, but he turned his head to look at me. "And where were you when your Pharaoh was in trouble, witch?" he asked, practically spitting out the last word. He grinned. "I can't believe I'm even here to see you again, _Olive_." He laughed at my shock. "Congratulations on defeating my rare hunter, although he was the weakest in my crew. My other minions will prove much more formidable."

"Yugi…" said Joey, uneasily. "What is with this freak show? How does he know your name, Olive?"

"Pharaoh, I've waited for you for years," the rare hunter continued. "Finally after all this time, I will destroy you. I will not allow my other rare hunters to fail me like this one did. I have little time for this kind of foolishness so I have taken over his body and trapped his mind in the shadow realm. I am in control!" He began to walk forward, although strangely as if he were drunk.

Joey stepped backwards. "This guy is creeping me out," he said.

"How do you control him?" asked Yami.

"He's using a millennium item," I said, watching the rare hunter, carefully.

The rare hunter smiled at me and I shuddered.

"Of course you would know, wouldn't you," he said. "Each of the millennium items contains its own unique powers, so mind control is a simple task with my millennium rod." He laughed. "After all these years, little Olive, I didn't think you would be able to feel the power."

"Hey, leave her out of this," said Joey.

The rare hunter laughed again. "Leave her out of this? How can I when she began it?"

"No good can come from controlling the minds of others," said Yami.

An image of Ishizu floated through my mind and I knew Yami was remembering what she'd told us. "The events of the past will occur again and that same great evil will return to threaten the entire world," I heard her say.

"He must be the great evil Ishizu spoke about," I heard Yami think.

"Allow me to introduce myself, since neither of you seem to remember," said the rare hunter. "Remember my name. Marik."

When he spoke his name I felt my head swim, nauseatingly, and stumbled a little.

"What is it you want from me, Marik?" Yami demanded.

"I want what belongs to me and I'll take it using the strength of the Egyptian God cards," he said.

"Egyptian what?" asked Yami.

"Millennia ago a trio of powerful behemoths rampaged throughout ancient Egypt. These Egyptian God monsters spread destruction throughout the world until the Pharaoh sealed them away for all eternity," Marik, using the rare hunter, explained. "But when Pegasus created duel monsters, he resurrected these mighty beasts as cards. With these Egyptian Gods, I can destroy you, bring your priestess over to my side, and claim the power I deserve!"

"Leave Olive out of this!" Yami shouted, sounding slightly angry. "You'll never hurt her and you'll _never _claim the millennium puzzle."

"You misunderstand, I want more than the power of the puzzle," said Marik. "Olive cannot be destroyed. In ancient times many people tried. But she can be swayed to either side and once under my influence, I can keep her here. And I want the Pharaoh's power," he said. "I want the boundless energy of the ancient ruler himself. With the power of the priestess and the pharaoh, no one will stand in my way. I'll use the almighty magic I gain to conquer and lead the world! I will be unstoppable. The end is near, Pharaoh. It's my world now."

"Not yet, Marik," said Yami. "I'm beginning to understand why Ishizu asked me to participate in Battle City. It's my destiny to stand between you and the evil powers you seek – and I will!"

Marik laughed. "Well that's much easier said than done, you fool," he said.

"I can't let Marik win," I heard Yami think. "Who knows what darkness will come? He may possess the magic of the millennium rod, but I have the strength of my puzzle. I have to beat him no matter what!"

"Your days are number, Pharaoh, so enjoy the game while you still can," said Marik. "Your reign is coming to an end!" With that, the rare hunter collapsed to the ground.

"Man, that was weird," said Joey. "You okay, Olive?" he asked me.

I nodded, slowly. I could feel my hands shaking. "Yea, I'm fine, Joey," I said.

"Maybe you should go home and stay out of all this stuff," Joey said.

"I said I was fine, Joey," I snapped, sounding meaner than I meant to.

Joey didn't seem to notice. "I knew that guy was a big creep," said Joey, "but who knew he was just a front for an even bigger creep?"

"Here, Joey," said Yami, handing Joey his red eyes black dragon card.

"No, Yugi," said Joey. "You hold onto it. It isn't mine to take, pal. You won it fair and square. Besides, the rare hunters have collected tons of rare cards. Their decks are strong so I know they're gonna be tough to beat, even for you."

"What are you saying, Joey?" asked Yami.

"I'm saying, one day you're gonna need all the powerful monsters you can get," Joey said. "Plus, you can think of me every time you play your red eyes. It's the least I can do. See, during the Duelist Kingdom tournament you taught me rules, killer strategies, and everything else that I needed to know to help me get to the finals. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"That's what friends do," said Yugi.

"That's my point," said Joey. "You've always had my back so it's time I helped you for a change. That's why I want you to keep my red eyes black dragon. I know it's gonna come in handy for you some time. Besides, this means that a part of me will be a part of your deck. It's kind of cool knowing a part of me will be helping you save the world. Don't get me wrong, I'm still in the contest and I still have the rare card requirement covered. Well, actually I guess you have it covered, Yugi. See, red eyes black dragon wasn't the only rare card I have. You gave me another rare card way back when I first started playing duel monsters, remember?"

"The time wizard," said Yami.

"Yup. It helped me out of jams at Duelist Kingdom and I know it's gonna save my butt in Battle City," said Joey. "Both of our hearts are in our decks. It's true. We'll whoop this Marik guy and his hunters so hard they won't know what hit them."

"You are a true friend, Joey," said Yami. "Together we can take on any evil that comes our way."

Joey walked in the opposite direction that Yami and I chose.

"I think you should go home and lie down," said Yami.

"I promised you and Yugi and Ishizu that I wouldn't leave your side, Yami," I said.

"You're very pale, Olive," said Yami. "At least go eat lunch somewhere. You have a cell phone, give me call when you're finished and we'll meet up again. You need to rest for a little while."

"Alright," I said, gratefully. "Thanks, Yami."

* * *

**A/N :: I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! :) I'm really excited to bring Marik into the story, he was always one of my favorite characters. Please review! **


	16. Duel: Joey vs Espa Roba

Chapter Sixteen

The next day, I went to _Reynolds_ to see my mom before heading out to the city. I picked up two cappuccinos and two blueberry muffins.

"Hey, baby," said my mom when I walked into the store.

"Hi, Mom," I said.

"Did you sleep well, sweetie? You seemed a little bit worn out when you got home last night," she said. She walked out from behind the front counter and we sat on one of the couches. I handed her a muffin and a cappuccino.

"Yea, I'm fine, Mom," I said. "I was just really tired."

"You need to take care of yourself, Olive," said my mom.

"Are you lecturing me?" I asked, smiling. "This is once in a lifetime."

She laughed. "I'm just trying to look out for you, darlin," she said. "You need to stay healthy. I know all your friends play this dueling game, but you don't have to risk your health to help them."

I took a sip of my drink. "Yes I do, Mom," I said. "That's what friends do."

She smiled a little. "Well, I'm proud of you, little miss. Just be careful," she said. She kissed my forehead. "I've got to get back to work, baby," she said. "Thank you for breakfast. Give me a call if you need anything okay?"

"Okay, Mom," I said. "I've gotta head out anyway. I'm supposed to meet Yugi out in the city." I stood up and walked to the door. Before I left, I turned back and said, "Mom, what would you tell me if I told you I was once an ancient Egyptian sorceress who was born again to help an ancient Pharaoh save the world?"

My mom thought for a second and then said, "I would say, don't forget to eat your vegetables."

I laughed and walked out.

I met Yami on the top of a building. He was watching Joey duel someone below.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Joey is dueling someone called Espa Roba. He claims that he's psychic and can read minds," said Yami.

I smiled. "That's funny," I said. "Have you seen Tea today?"

He shook his head. "Have you?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I thought I heard her thinking something earlier today, but then the thoughts stopped."

"Are you sure you're feeling alright, Olive?" asked Yami. "I know yesterday was sort of a strange experience for both of us. The things he said were very surprising."

I nodded slowly. "I'll be okay," I said. "All he did was make me feel more curious about who I was and who you were." I laughed. "Yami, I asked my mom what she would say if I told her I was an ancient Egyptian sorceress who was reborn to help an ancient Pharaoh save the world. She told me to eat my vegetables."

Yami smiled. "Your powers are growing stronger every day, Olive," he said. "You need to make time to focus on them."

"I know. I'm planning on going to the library with Bakura sometime this week so I can find some more books to help me. It's good to see you smile, buddy," I said. "How's Joey doing so far?"

"Not great," said Yami. "But he'll be okay." Yami jerked his head sideways to the building next to ours and I looked. There were four other kids who looked like the guy Joey was dueling kneeling on the roof. They were looking through binoculars and speaking into a walkie talkie.

"He's a cheater?" I asked. "Maybe we should call…"

A whistle began to blow and we both looked over at the other rooftop. Mokuba was running at the four brothers. "Violation!" he yelled. One of the boys stood up and tried to run. He ducked under a billboard sign. Mokuba slid onto his side and grabbed the boy's ankle. "Freeze!" he said. The boy fell. "Your brother will never duel in this town again," said Mokuba.

"We've learned our lesson," one of the other brothers protested. "Please, you've gotta give him another chance."

"As the Battle City tournament commissioner, it's my sworn duty to bust cheaters," said Mokuba. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cancel this duel."

Yami was watching the scene out of the corner of his eye. I could sense his curiosity over what Mokuba would decide to do. I have turned towards them and had barely refrained from shouting out Mokuba's name.

"You just can't!" One of the boys said. "Show some mercy. Our brother isn't doing this for the dueling glory, he's doing it for us."

"What?" asked Mokuba.

"We're carnival folk, or at least we used to be," another brother said. "Since we left the show, he's kept the bullies off our backs."

"Your brother protects you from bullies?" Mokuba asked.

"That reminds me of my big brother," I heard him think, as he thought about what to do.

"See, every day after school, the big kids would gang up on us. But everyone respects a good duelist. As long as he wins, they leave us alone. We're just trying to make sure he does win."

Mokuba turned his head and saw us watching him. Neither Yami nor I said anything. We didn't even smile or wave. We just watched. "It's Yugi and Olive," I heard him think. They must have seen everything…"

He turned back to the brothers and said, "It's still cheating! If I let you guys off the hook, what's to stop you from pulling this stunt again?"

"I'm begging you," said the oldest brother. "Let him duel so we don't get beat up after school."

Mokuba looked like he couldn't decide what to do. He looked back up at us. "They seem sincere," Mokuba was thinking. "I bet Yugi would give them a second chance and I _know_ that Olive would."

"What do you say?" the second oldest brother asked. He had the youngest, a baby, strapped to his back.

"This is your last chance," said Mokuba. "If he cheats again, then it's no more mister nicer guy." The brothers cheered and Mokuba smiled. "Big brother stories get me every time." He looked up at us again, and although Yami had already turned back to the duel, I smiled at him. Even without dating Kaiba, Mokuba had become like my little brother.

"Come on, Joey," Yami said, quietly.

"I think Tea's worried about you," I told him. "I keep getting waves of feeling from her."

"We'll find her as soon as we can," said Yami. "Right now I have to focus on dueling and I need you here with me."

I nodded and didn't respond.

The duel continued and Joey attacked Espa Roba's life points. He only needed one more move to win.

"Come on, big brother, you can still win!" the brothers on the other roof cheered.

Mokuba stood behind them, looking very serious.

"Joey needs to keep up his defenses," Yami said to me, frowning as he watched.

Espa Roba activated a trap card called mind control. It gave him control of Joey's monster.

"Why didn't he use that trap the first time Joey attacked?" I asked Yami.

Yami smiled. "Is this you seriously being interested in something to do with duel monsters?" he asked. "I thought I'd never see the day. If Espa had sprung his mind control trap when Joey attacked with alligator sword, he could have used the brainwashed the gator to attack Joey's swordsman, but he waited to use it on Joey's swordsman…"

"There's only one reason he'd wait," I heard Joey think. "He wants to sacrifice my swordsman."

"Oh," I said. "I understand."

Joey put a card facedown. Espa sacrificed the swordsman and summoned his own monster, a creepy looking thing called Ginzo. Ginzo destroyed Joey's trap card.

"With Ginzo on the field, all your trap cards are destroyed. I foresee the finish," said Espa, smirking arrogantly. "With no defenses, you will be destroyed. You will be out of the tournament for good, Wheeler."

"I can't let him win…" Joey murmured, frowning.

Espa played a magic card that boosted Ginzo's attack power by five hundred points. Every turn that passed gave him more attack power. Ginzo attacked and Joey's alligator swordsman was destroyed.

"Yay!" his brothers cheered for him.

"Espa Roba is a strong duelist, Olive, but I know Joey can beat him," said Yami.

I nodded. "Joey's going to win, Yami," I said.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

I shrugged. "The same way I just knew when we were at Duelist Kingdom. I think I have more powers than just reading minds, Yami. I've been having strange vision-like dreams about the past."

"Why haven't you spoken to me about this?" asked Yami.

"We've been busy," I told him. "When you and I have the time, we will talk about it."

"Alright," said Yami.

We turned back to the duel. Joey summoned baby dragon.

"I know what you're up to!" we heard Rex Raptor, who was standing in the crowd, say.

Then Joey played the time wizard, which aged his baby dragon one thousand years. But when he looked at Espa Roba's monster, it hadn't aged or rusted at all.

"Stay focused," I heard Yami think. "You can win this, Joey, we both know it."

"He'll win," I repeated.

Yami glanced at me. "I can't have a private moment with you here, can I?"

I shrugged. "I'm sorry," I said. "I can't help it. Believe me, sometimes I wish I could turn it off."

"I can't tell Serenity that Joey's losing," I heard Tristan think.

A few moments passed and my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Tristan just called me," said Tea. "Are you watching Joey's duel right now?"

"Yea," I said. "Where have been? Yami and I haven't seen you in two days."

"Where are you guys at?" she asked.

I gave her directions.

"Great," she said. "I'll see you later, okay?"

She hung up before I could respond.

The duel continued, getting progressively worse for Joey.

"Why don't you hand me your time wizard now?" Espa Roba taunted. "There's no way you're going to win."

"Maybe he's right…" I heard Joey think.

"Joey's losing hope," I said, quietly.

"Joey, hang in there!" I heard someone shout. I looked down and saw Tea pushing through the crowd with Yugi's grandfather.

"Tea," said Joey, surprised.

"Tristan called from the hospital," said Tea. "I called Olive to find you. She and Yugi are watching, cheering for you! Tristan's watching the duel at the hospital with Serenity. Your sister wants you to know something, Joey."

"What is it?" asked Joey. "What did she say?"

Tea smiled. "You two are a team. Forever. She believes in you, so don't even think about giving up."

Joey smiled. "There's no way I'm quitting," I heard him think and I smiled too. "Serenity would never give up on me and I'm not about to give up on myself. I know you're right here with me, sis, so I'm gonna defeat this psychic clown with your help."

"Serenity must be a pretty special sister," I said, smiling.

"Enough stalling! Are you gonna quit or what, Wheeler?" Espa Roba demanded.

"I don't think so," said Joey, smiling.

"Really?" asked Espa Roba, looking a little surprised. "Suit yourself."

"That's right, Joey," said Yugi's grandfather. "You can still win this duel. You just have to believe in yourself and in the heart of the cards."

"I know there's a card that can help me and turn this around," Joey thought.

"Come on!" Yami thought. "Turn this around, Joey."

"Check this out!" said Joey. He drew a card. "Yes!" he said. "The magic card roulette spider." The strange looking spider attached to Espa Roba's Ginzo. "Roulette spider is one of the riskiest cards in duel monsters. It could save me or destroy me. After I give up half my life points, it attaches to your Ginzo and walks him to the center." A spin table shaped like a spider web appeared and Joey explained that the spider would spin until it was told to stop and then attack whatever monster or person's life points that it was pointing at.

"What the hell is he thinking?" I heard Rex Raptor think.

Ginzo began to spin.

"What's the matter? Afraid to tell it to stop?" Joey asked Espa Roba.

"I believe in you, Joey," I heard a girl think. I assumed it was Serenity.

Eventually, Espa Roba said stop. Ginzo was facing a monster of Espa Roba's that reflected the attack right back at Ginzo. Both monsters were destroyed.

"No!" said Espa Roba. "I had it won! I…you couldn't beat me."

"What do you think just happened?" asked Joey. "You have no more life points. You're finished and this duel is over."

"YEA!" Tea cheered, jumping up. She hugged Yugi's grandfather.

"Nice," said Yami, smiling.

I clapped. "Whoo-hoo, Joey!" I called, even though I knew he couldn't hear me.

Yami looked over at Mokuba and Espa Roba's brothers. I followed his gaze.

"He was so close!" said one of his brothers.

Espa fell to his knees. "I can't believe he beat me," he said.

Joey walked over to Espa Roba. "It was a tough duel. Now fork over your Ginzo and your locator card," said Joey.

"I can't! Please, don't make me!" Espa shouted.

"What are you talking about?" asked Joey. "Why are you freaking out? Just stand up and face defeat. You know the Battle City rules. I get to keep your rarest card. Everyone loses once in a while. Even I lost a few duels in my day."

"It's not that simple!" Espa shouted, tears in his eyes. "People count on me to win!"

"We all have our own reasons why we duel, Roba," said Joey.

"Stop! You just don't get it, do you? Losing is not an option. I must win at all costs!" He hit the ground. "I _must_. I'm not dueling for myself, I'm dueling for my brothers. My little brothers look up to me. I'm like a hero to them. If my reputation as a loser spreads, they'll get picked on by bullies again."

"That's crazy talk, Roba," said Joey. "Trust me, I know a few things about being a big brother." Joey held out his hand to Espa Roba. "You need a hand?" he asked, smiling.

Espa hit his hand away. "I don't need your pity!" he snarled.

An earphone fell out of his ear and landed on the ground.

"Fine, be that way," said Joey.

"Come on, big bro," a voice came out of the earphone. "Get up. You didn't disappoint us. You fought an awesome duel and you did it without cheating."

The crowd parted and his four brothers were standing in front of him.

"We're proud of you, bro," they said.

"But I lost," said Espa.

"So?"

"So you aren't worried about people thinking that your big brother is a loser?" he asked.

"Nope," said his brother. "In our book, you're a winner."

Espa Roba stood up. "Well come here," he said. "Give your brother a hug!" The four of them rushed forward to hug him and the crowd smiled and said, "Aww."

"Thank you guys," said Espa Roba.

"So I guess these guys are your cosmic forces you were talking about," said Joey. "Now all I need is the Ginzo card to complete this happy ending."

"Good work, Joey," said Yami, out loud. "He did good."

I nodded. "He did," I agreed.


	17. Vanished

Chapter Seventeen

I left Yami after the duel and waited at the bottom of the next building.

When Mokuba got down to the street, I said, "Hey little Kaiba."

He looked at me and grinned. "Olive!" he said. He gave me a tight hug.

"Shit, you're getting tall!" I said. "But I guess you are a Kaiba and Seto's pretty damn tall."

"It's been way too long, Olive," said Mokuba. "Where have you been? And why don't you ever hang out with me?"

"Well, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to, since your brother hates me," I said.

"Screw that," said Mokuba. "Don't make excuses. Seto can just get over himself. Let's go get lunch, okay?"

"Sure," I said. We started to walk when, down an alley, Mokuba saw someone bullying another duelist.

"Battle City rules states you only get my one rarest card if you win," said the guy sitting on the ground.

"I'm making my own rules!" The other guy, who had dirty blond hair, said. "Now give me your two rarest cards."

Before I even noticed he'd moved, Mokuba was in the alleyway blowing his whistle. "Dueling foul," he said, suddenly very serious.

"Hey, beat it junior," said the dirty blond. I walked up behind Mokuba. "The lady is welcome to stay though. Ditch this twerp for a real man, sweetheart."

"You will not speak to Olive like that," said Mokuba. "And you're talking to the official commissioner for the Battle City Tournament. I will settle any and all dueling disputes. When it comes to the rules, what I say goes. Do I make myself clear?" He sounded very official. Mokuba had grown up so much since the first time I'd met him.

"I'll keep that in mind, now get lost!" said the dirty blond.

"If you want to stay in this tournament than you're going to have to do what I say," said Mokuba.

"Or what?" he demanded, angrily.

"Or you'll have to deal with me," his voice made me flinch.

The blond turned and Kaiba walked up to us.

"Hey, bro," said Mokuba.

"Hello, little brother," he said. "Hello, Olive."

"S-seto Kaiba," said the blond, sounding nervous.

"When you speak to my brother that way, you dishonor me _and _the battle city tournament," said Kaiba. "Besides, I have very little patience for bullies."

"What's your problem?" asked the blond.

Kaiba knelt down and opened his briefcase. It was filled with cards. "It's time learned to show some respect," said Kaiba.

"Wow!" said the guy, his eyes widening. "Amazing! What's up with all these rare cards?"

"I challenge you to a duel here and now," said Kaiba. "With one condition. you must use these rare cards to boost the dueling power of your pathetic deck."

The blond guy laughed. "You're sure about this?" he asked. He put his deck together and the two of them got ready to duel.

While the blond was overly confident, Kaiba laughed. "I just need to play a single card to teach you a lesson you'll never forget," he said. With that, Kaiba summoned Obelisk the Tormentor. With the force of the attack, Kaiba's opponent was thrown to the ground.

"I've never seen a card that powerful," he murmured as Kaiba, Mokuba, and I walked away.

"Now I'll use my Egyptian God card on a real opponent," said Kaiba. "Let's find Yugi."

"No one messes with my little brother," I heard Kaiba think, as we walked. "Especially not with an Egyptian God card in my deck. If my plan worked, the other two cards should be here in Battle City. I just need to find out where so I can win them. When I get hold of all three of these unstoppable Egyptian God monsters, not even Yugi will be able to defeat me. Once again, I'll be the number one duelist in the world."

"So, Obelisk the Tormenter has been played?" I heard the voice of Marik in my head.

I shuddered and squeezed my eyes shut. For a second, his voice faded. Then it came back. Images flooded my mind as well. I stumbled and Kaiba caught me, but I barely noticed.

"Ishizu conspires against me. She gave Kaiba that card to stop me. Now we're both after the cards. I should have known Ishizu was behind this whole tournament," Marik thought. I saw the image of a stone tomb with great stone statues carved into the mountain guarding the entrance. "She's been trying to stand in my way ever since I decided to take was is rightfully mine." I saw a man in a black cloak holding a golden rod, which I assumed was the millennium rod. He was speaking to another man who looked as if he were under a trance. The second man pushed buttons on a safe. He unlocked it and handed a card in a glass case to the man in the cloak. Marik, I assumed, but I couldn't see his face. He left with the card. "That makes two," he thought. "One more Egyptian God card and I'll be unstoppable."

Outside the tomb, Ishizu was waiting.

"Don't take another step," she said.

"Ishizu," he sneered.

"Brother," said Ishizu. "My millennium necklace warned me you would betray me and indeed you have. Five thousand years ago our family swore to protect the Pharaoh's tomb until his return. Who knew that the greatest threat would come from one of our own?"

"Why should _I_ protect _him_? I'm claiming what should have been mine from the very beginning, sister," said Marik. "Soon instead of guarding the Pharaoh, I'll inherit his strength. My destiny lies in the cards. The three Egyptian God cards."

"If you want to carry out this madness, you're going to have to find the last card," said Ishizu.

Marik held up his millennium rod. "I'm warning you," he said.

"You'd use your millennium rod against your own flesh and blood, Marik?" she asked.

"If you continue to stand in my way, then yes, I'll have to," said Marik and pain ripped through my head as his rod began to glow.

"I know my sister gave the third Egyptian God card to Seto Kaiba," I heard him think. The images faded away. "She used her millennium necklace to foresee the events of Battle City. Ishizu knew that if she gave Obelisk the Tormentor to Kaiba he'd throw a tournament out of greed to obtain the other Egyptian God cards. But Kaiba has little understanding of their true strength and once I have them all, the power of the Pharaoh will be mine. However, first I'll need to weaken the Pharaoh and prepare him for the day I'll take my ultimate prize." There was a pause and then he said, "Leave Kaiba to his games and keep trying to find a way to make sure the witch cannot get into my head. I have a more important task to tend to first. Dispatch Arcana to take down Yugi Muto."

When I opened my eyes, I was looking up at Kaiba and Mokuba's faces. Kaiba had knelt down and propped me against his knees. They were both trying to wake me, discussing whether or not they should take me to the hospital.

"I'm okay," I said, sitting up slowly.  
"You sure?" asked Mokuba, looking worried.

"Yea," I said. I stood up on shaky legs. "Yea, I'm sure, but I have to find Yugi."

"Sorry we aren't exciting enough company for you," said Kaiba.

"You know what, shut your mouth, Kaiba," I snapped. I made a move to hit him in the stomach with the back of my hand, but he caught my hand. "This is important. I need to find him."

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate.

"Um, what are you doing?" Mokuba asked me.

"I'm trying to…find him," I told Mokuba. "I'm trying to…think of where he would be."

"Well, I can look him up on the database," said Mokuba. "There's a tracking chip in his dueling disk. It'll only take a few minutes."

"What were you really doing?" asked Kaiba, suspiciously.

"You remember the fever at Duelist Kingdom," I said to Kaiba. "You remember the dreams I had? Well they're all coming true. I see things, Kaiba. I see visions of the future and sometimes I can read people's thoughts."

"She's gone crazy," I heard Kaiba think.

"Like right now you're thinking that I've gone crazy," I said.

"It wouldn't take a genius to figure that out, Olive," he said. "Stop filling my little brother's head with lies."

I glanced at Mokuba, hoping he would understand or at least give me a chance. Then I looked back at Kaiba. "I don't lie, Kaiba," I said. "How can you even think that of me? You know me."

"No, you don't lie. You just don't bother picking up the phone and making a call when it's convenient for you to withhold the truth," he snapped.

"Can you just get the hell over that?" I demanded, shoving him.

Kaiba took a step backwards and said, "So what? You want to pretend it never happened? Life doesn't work that way, Olive."

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Hmm, there's no one here…" I heard Yami think. I could feel his curiosity and confusion building up inside my body and then it was just…gone. As if it had never been. I couldn't sense him anywhere, although I felt a wave of panic from Tea.

"That's weird," Mokuba mumbled. "Seto, the tournament surveillance just lost track of Yugi Muto. He's disappeared."

"He's disappeared?" asked Kaiba. "Impossible. Make sure the satellite link is working. Now."

Mokuba nodded and called a car to pick us up.

"He's not going to find him if someone doesn't want Yugi to be found," I told Kaiba. "There are dark powers surrounding this."

"Shut up about this magic crap, Olive," said Kaiba. "I'm not interested."

"That's cuz you're a close minded prick," I replied.

When the car arrived, I hesitated.

Mokuba, noticing how uncomfortable said, "Look, Seto, send me the coordinates if you find any. I'm gonna hit the streets with Olive. We'll find Yugi."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Mokuba," he said. "Promise me you won't listen to all of the crap that comes out of Olive's mouth."

I flipped him off and the car pulled away.

"For the record, I believe everything you said about mind reading," said Mokuba. "After all that Pegasus was capable of, I'm never going to ignore someone when they claim to have powers again."

"Thanks, Mokuba," I said, as we started walking down the street.

"Sure," he said. "Sometimes Seto can be a jerk. Don't let it get to you. I'm not letting him get in the way of you finally making the time to hang out with me," he added, joking.

After about an hour passed, Mokuba's satellite tracker or whatever it was beeped.

"Seto found him," he said. "Let's go."

We took off down the street.

"I think I see Tea," I said, pointing ahead of us.

We slowed down as we approached Tea. She was with Yugi's grandfather.

"Mokuba, you've got to help us," said Mister Muto. "Yugi walked into a tent and he disappeared. We've looked everywhere!"

"We're afraid that he might have been kidnapped," Tea added. "Olive!" she hugged me. "I thought you were with Yugi."

"I was earlier," I said. "After Joey finished his duel, I went to go get lunch with Mokuba."

"We know Yugi's went missing," said Mokuba. "Seto just found out where he is. Olive and I were heading there right now."

"What good timing," said Tea.

"You lead the way and we'll follow you," said Mister Muto.

"We have to hurry," said Mokuba.

We all started running again.

We got to a building, after what felt like forever, and Mokuba stopped. "Seto said Yugi's in here," he said.

A motorcycle pulled up and stopped. The guy took his helmet off. It was Tristan.

"Hey, is everything alright, guys?" he asked.

"No, Tristan," said Tea. "Yugi's been missing for hours!"

"He's missing?" asked Tristan.

"He walked into a tent and disappeared," Tea explained.

"I was in his mind and the connection was suddenly severed," I added. Then I smiled. "Which one of us sounds crazier?" I asked.

"My brother traced him to the basement of this building," said Mokuba.

"He must be trapped," said Tea.

"Then we've gotta bust in there and rescue him," said Tristan. "Let's do it!"

"That's my kind of thinking," I agreed, cheerfully.

We hurried in the building and ran down the stairs. There was a door at the bottom of the stairs that was bolted shut. We tugged on the handle, but it didn't budge.

"Listen," said Tea, pressing her ear up against the door. "Do you hear that buzzing?"

We all fell silent, straining to hear.

Tristan pounded on the door. "Yugi, it's us!" he shouted.

"Is that you in there?" asked Tea.

"Yugi, we'll get you out of there!" called Mister Muto.

"I think he's okay," I said. "I can sense him again, but something strange is happening." I could feel the millennium puzzle change and now I could sense Yugi, rather than Yami. All of the sudden, Tea, Mokuba, Tristan, and Mister Muto's voices faded away.

"Arcana is gone! We meet again. I presume I need no introduction," Marik's voice flooded my head. The eye symbol on my arm began to glow. "I'll reveal myself to you when the time is right and no sooner. Once I obtain what's mine, and you know exactly what I want. I want the unlimited power of the ancient Pharaoh – the spirit that lives within your puzzle. You can't stop me. Remember when I took control of Bandit Keith? I almost succeeded in separating you from the millennium puzzle forever. Unfortunately you were able to put it back together before you and your spirit friend, Yami, were destroyed. That power is rightfully mine and once I have it I will be unstoppable. The world will belong to me! And no one will stand in the way of my destiny. Especially not you. Listen, little Yugi, my family has slaved for centuries, protecting the tomb of the Pharaoh until his return. And for what? I should be the Pharaoh. You're nothing but a vessel for the Pharaoh's spirit. You could never understand his strength. Nor will you stand in my way of getting it. We've given up too much to let someone else claim the throne. I was raised on the ancient scriptures, learning all there is to know about King Yami, the Pharaoh, and the shadow games. The key to his power is your puzzle and the three Egyptian God cards. But I can't just take the millennium puzzle from you. According to the ancient scriptures, I have to defeat you in a duel first. Then I'll banish you to the shadow realm to make sure you stay out of my way. Once I gain control of the millennium puzzle and obtain all three Egyptian God cards, I'll be king – a much more worthy king than your counterpart, Yami. He doesn't even know how to harness the great powers that lie dormant within him. I, on the other hand, know full well how to take them from him. How long to you think your little sorceress will stay loyal to you when I am the one holding all the power? Do you even appreciate having such strong magic in your presence? If she could see the past, she would not be so keen to support you, Pharaoh, and one day soon she will work for me. My millennium rod will ensure that I get everything I need. I already possess two of the Egyptian God cards and I know where to find the third one. Soon enough my loyal team of rare hunters will bring the final card to me. It's only a matter of time, you see, until I take what is rightfully mine and then banish you and the Pharaoh to the shadow realm for all eternity! The rest of the world will kneel before King Marik! The new pharaoh."

"Are you okay, Olive?" asked Mokuba.

His voice sounded far away.

"I'm fine," I heard myself say.

"I have to keep Marik from getting all this power," I heard Yugi think. "I wish I knew more about Yami's ancient past and about what Olive's role was back then, because history is repeating itself and it's my destiny to help Yami save the world again. I do know Marik can't succeed without the millennium puzzle, and in order to get it from me, he has to defeat me in a duel. As long as I believe in the heart of the cards and stay connected to Yami, I can stop him."

"I promise you, by the sands of Egypt, the Pharaoh's power will be mine," I heard Marik. "We'll meet again, Yugi. Give Olive my regards."

I shook my head and stood up. Marik's presence had left. The door opened, as if suddenly unlocked. We all rushed inside. Yugi insisted he was okay, but from the look he gave me, I could see that there was a lot he wanted to talk to me about.


	18. Just a Break

Chapter Eighteen

The next day, instead of going to Battle City, I went to work. When I arrived, my mom insisted that she didn't care if I went to support my friends, but I told her it was no big deal.

"I feel like I have no energy," I told her, frowning.

"Aww, baby, are these games wearing you out?" she asked.

"I'm not even dueling," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm such a loser, Mom. Imagine how tired Yugi and Joey must be."

"How have they been doing?" my mom asked.

"They're doing pretty good, actually," I said. "There are some really messed up duelists though."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, just that people cheat, you know?" I said, not wanting to go into detail about anything else that was going on. After all, I already knew her advice was to eat my vegetables.

"Well, it's a slow day," said my mom. "Why don't you sit on the couch and relax? Read or something?"

"Alright," I said. "Let me know if you need help with anything, okay?"

My mom nodded and I went over to sit on the couch. I was very relieved and grateful that my mom would let me relax on the couch. I reached into my backpack and pulled out my book from Tea.

"Hidden power is available to those who recognize and accept that there is a higher realm of knowing and communication beyond their own physical bodies," I quietly read. "Alright, well I have already been forced to believe that," I murmured. I sighed and continued to flip through the book. "To begin tuning into this force, you need to learn about focusing. Focusing on even the smallest instance of psychic phenomena that happens to your self and to people around you can strengthen your power and cause you to become more in tune. Play the event in your mind over and over again. Give yourself time to meditate every day. Learn to clear your mind so that you can sense and focus on the energy all around you. Once you can sense energy, there are endless possibilities of what you can do with it." I turned a few pages and then kept reading. "Everything is connected. One of the most important things that anyone needs to understand is that every living thing has a consciousness and a connection to everything else in the universe."

"Mom?" I asked, shutting my book.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she asked, from the back of the shop where she was folding clothes and hanging clothes up.

"Do you believe in psychic powers and stuff like that?" I asked.

There was a pause and then she said, "Yes, I think so. I don't see why people wouldn't be able to connect with the energy of the universe. Do you believe in that sort of thing, darlin?"

"Oh, yes," I said, quickly. "Yes, I do, Mom."

Later that day, dancing around the store while I cleaned, Mai Valentine came into the store. I didn't notice her at first because I had the stereo playing so loudly in the store that I didn't hear the door open.

"I didn't know you worked here," I heard her say.

When I turned around she was right behind me.

I smiled. "Hey," I said. "Yea, my mom owns this store."

"That's crazy," she said. "I come in here all the time but I've never seen you."

"I've been down at Battle City with Yugi," I explained. "I decided to come into work today. I just needed a break. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be dueling?"

She shrugged. "I already have five locator cards so I thought I'd take a break too," she said. "I'm actually glad I ran into you. It's been a while that I've hung out with a girl instead of dorky dueling losers."

I laughed. "I could say the same," I said.

"You hang out with Tea don't you?"

"Yea," I said, nodding. I grinned. "Sometimes I think she's a little too…nice for me to get along with though. Lately I've spent a lot of time with Yugi. Before that, I hung out with Bakura a lot."

"Bakura?" she asked.

"Yea," I said. "He has long white hair and is secretly possessed by an evil spirit."

She laughed. "You're a riot, Reynolds," she said. "How about we go downtown and get some drinks?"

"Mom," I called back to the office. "Do you care if I leave early?"

"No, sweetie," she called back. "Go on and have fun."

"Thanks," I said. "Sounds like fun," I told Mai. "Did you want to buy anything here first?"

"No," said Mai. "I'm alright."

"Okay, well let me change really quick," I said.

"Sure," she said.

I went into the back and changed into a pair of skin tight black jeans that sat low on my hips, a purple tube-top style shirt that show my stomach, and black boots that came up to my knees. Once I was in Mai's car, I put on the studded bracelets I'd taken from Yugi. I lined my eyes thickly in black, put on a shiny lip gloss, swept my eyelashes with mascara, and let my hair down.

"You look good," said Mai.

"Thanks," I said. "Do have any idea how Yugi and Joey are doing in Battle City?"

"Well, I saw them both this morning, but I haven't seen them since," said Mai. "Although, I do know that Joey beat Weevil in a duel. I haven't seen Yugi anywhere."

I frowned. "I should find him," I said. "I've been hearing…I mean, Tea's been worried about him all day."

As we were driving, we passed an area near the river and I thought I saw Yami dueling someone.

"Mai, could you stop?" I asked. "I'm really sorry, but I think I saw Yugi. Can we meet for drinks later?"

"Sure thing," said Mai. "Meet me at the park later on tonight and we'll go out."

"Deal," I said. "I'll see you then!" I climbed out of the car and Mai drove off.

"Although my brother Marik follows the path of evil, he can be saved. There is good inside him," I heard Ishizu think. "But in order for his good side to shine, my brother must fail in his quest to obtain the power of the pharaoh.

"Yugi?" I called, running towards the river.

I heard laughing echo through my head. "So my ring has led me to the museum," I heard. "It senses another millennium item inside."

"Evil…" I heard Ishizu think.

"I must be getting closer to the source," the spirit of Bakura's millennium ring thought. My head swum and I was looking at both the stairs leading to the river and the stone tablets that Yami, Tea, and I had seen at the museum. "It's been quite a long time since I laid my eyes on these stone carvings," I heard him say.

"My brother seeks a power far more dangerous," Ishizu thought. "The priestess must stay on the pharaoh's side. The true pharaoh is the only one who can stop him."


	19. Duel: Yugi vs The Mime

Chapter Nineteen

The voices and images faded and I ran down the stairs. "Yami!" I shouted.

"Well, well," said the strange looking man that Yami was facing. He spoke with Marik's voice. "Nice to see you again, little Olive. I look forward to seeing you face to face. I think you will find me very…persuasive."

"You and your mind slave will never win my puzzle, Marik," said Yami.

"I disagree," Marik spoke through the man. He played a weak card in attack mode and then laid another card face down.

"Thank you for being here, Olive," Yami said to me. He drew his first card and set a card face down. Then he summoned a monster that was stronger than Marik's.

"It takes more than strength to win a duel," said Marik.

"I'm well aware of that," Yami said.

"Then you won't be surprised when my monster destroys yours," he said.

"I'd like to see that," said Yami.

Marik summoned a second monster and then activated a magic card to fuse two monsters together. His new monster was much stronger than Yami's. Even though Marik wasn't supposed to be able to attack, he played a magic card that allowed him to. But when he attacked, Yami played a magic card that made his two monsters become un-fused.

"I was hoping for a far more challenging duel from you, but you've only disappointed me," said Yami.

"This duel is far from over," said Marik.

It was strange listening to him speak because I could hear him in my head and out loud at the same time. It was a weird experience. I also felt like I was floating on water every time I heard him speak.

"Feeling alright, priestess?" asked Marik.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," I lied, frowning.

He laughed. "You're going to be fun," he said. "So stubborn." He turned back to Yami. "I will not be denied my victory or your puzzle."

"You will if you keep making amateur moves," said Yami.

"You shall witness my true skills in due time and once I defeat you, I'll become Pharaoh and banish you to the shadow realm. The relentless power of my Egyptian God card will deliver me your puzzle and assure your destruction. Prepare to face a force the likes of which you have never seen."

They continued the game and I stood off the side, a frown on my face and worry in my eyes. Like the book I'd been reading had told me, I forced my mind to focus only on the duel. Slowly, Marik's voice faded out of my mind and I could only hear him out loud.

Marik summoned a plasma monster and a breeding machine that created monsters called slime token monsters. Marik was going to use the breeding machine to create slime tokens so that he could sacrifice them to summon his Egyptian God card. He then played a magic card that would block every one of Yami's attacks.

Marik played a magic card called nightmare steel cage and metal cage sprung up around Yami. I cried out in surprise. Even the connection I had with him suddenly felt severed.

"It will be wonderful to have your power on my side once again, Olive," said Marik.

I shook my head. "Never," I said.

"You don't even know who you are," said Marik. "You have no idea what happened in the past or who you used to be. You have no idea what you are capable of or what will happen when your mind is reopened."

"Just duel," I said.

Marik laughed. "It appears you're out of options, Pharaoh," he said, turning back to Yami. "With my cage in place, you can't attack, and in one more turn you'll be finished and your millennium puzzle will be mine."

"As long as I believe in the heart of the cards, you will never succeed in claiming my puzzle!" said Yami.

"Your misguided faith is completely pathetic," Marik replied. "History may be on your side, but destiny is on mine."

Yami ended his turn and Marik's breeding machine created the third slime token. Black clouds rolled in and lightening began to strike. It struck so close to me that I swore I could feel the electricity in my body, but I wasn't struck.

"Meet your maker, Pharaoh," said Marik. "The last monster you'll ever see. The Egyptian God, Slifer the Sky Dragon. You're finished! Prepare to feel his wrath!"

The red dragon was huge and long. It had two mouths. Although I could see the excitement and awe in the eyes of the man Marik was controlling and the worry and fear I saw in Yami's eyes, I felt nothing. Something inside me that I didn't understand was not afraid of Slifer the Sky Dragon. That was when I knew that Yami was going to win.

"No one has ever defeated an Egyptian God card," said Marik.

"Until now," Yami shot back, determined.

"You're a fool. Slifer will wipe you out with one single attack. Then I'll take your puzzle, your priestess will stand by me, and I will send you to the shadow realm. Now, prepare to lose," said Marik. He laughed.

I could see Yami concentrating, but I could not hear his thoughts. I didn't want to draw my attention away from the duel and let Marik back into my head.

"This duel is far from over, Marik," said Yami.

"How sad," said Marik, mockingly. "You're finished. Just embrace it. You've had your chance to be Pharaoh, Yami. Now it's time for me to take over and rule the world."

Yami placed two cards face down and summoned Kuriboh. Slowly, the steel cage evaporated and I was hit with a wave of Yami's feelings. I was in his mind once again.

"You are powerless against Slifer," said Marik, as Slifer's attack points were raised even higher. He attacked.

Yami activated a trap card, which slashed a card out of Marik's hand. It made Slifer weaker than Yami's monster. Yami attacked, but Marik's jam defender, a card that intercepted all attacks, kept Slifer from being destroyed. Marik drew another card and Slifer's attack power was raised to five thousand. Slifer attacked and destroyed Yami's strongest monster on the field – a card called buster blader.

"Once my Egyptian God card finishes you off, your days as Pharaoh will be over," said Marik.

"None of my monsters are strong enough," I heard Yami think. "I'm going to have to rely on a magic card."

Yami sacrificed his Kuriboh and summoned his Dark Magician Girl. It activated Slifer's special ability. He attacked and Yami activated magical hats to hide his Dark Magician Girl.

"It's true that your dragon is powerful, but I have faith," said Yami. "And so I lay two cards face down beneath my magical hats."

"Your hats merely provide you with a temporary hiding place," said Marik. "In the meantime, Pharaoh, I'll play my own magic card. It will make my dragon's power infinite. Now I can keep as many cards as I want in my hand."

Slifer attacked a hat, revealing the Dark Magician girl. But with two trap cards, she was able to absorb his attack and send it back at him. But with the plasma monster, Yami's attack was blocked once again. But on Marik's turn, he raised his dragon's power even more and destroyed the Dark Magician girl.

"Behold the ultimate five card combination that makes me unstoppable," said Marik. "My Egyptian God card continues to grow stronger and your attacks are completely useless."

"Oh, no," said Yami, as he fell to his knees.

I was shocked.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. "Get up!"

"I can't let Marik win my puzzle," Yami whispered.

"Get on your feet, Yugi!" a voice behind me demanded. Yami and I both looked up to see Seto and Mokuba Kaiba standing at the top of the stairs. "Since when do you bow to your rivals?"

"Never," said Yami.

"Then get up and stop embarrassing yourself so you can defeat this nobody and relieve him of his Egyptian God card," said Kaiba. "And do it now. Don't let this punk win. You can take down Slifer the Sky Dragon. Just find out its weakness. Unless, of course, you've lost your touch. If you still have what it takes, then get up and prove it to me now!"

"Listen to him, Yami," I said. "You can do this. Get up."

"You foolish girl," Marik sneered at me.

"Don't you _dare_ call me a fool, you coward!" I shouted. I looked at the man Marik was controlling. I could feel my features contort with anger and I knew he could see it in my eyes. My voice was louder than I'd ever heard it before. There was something dark in it that I'd never noticed before. In that moment that I lost control, voices of people's thoughts flooded into my mind. As quickly as I'd shouted, I took a step back, surprise running through my body. What was happening to me?

He looked amused. "As you wish, priestess," he said, with a nod.

"I will defeat him, Kaiba," said Yami, standing up with renewed determination. "Marik, it's over."

"Ha! My Egyptian God card is unstoppable!" said Marik. "And you're my next victim, Kaiba. Once Slifer the Sky Dragon eliminates Yugi, I'm coming after your Egyptian God card."

"Your empty threats don't scare me," said Kaiba, calmly.

"They will in time, fool," he said.

"This duel isn't over yet, Marik," said Yami. He drew a card and placed it face down. Then he summoned a monster in defense mode. Slifer the Sky Dragon sent an attack at Yugi's monster, draining it of two thousand of its defense points. Yami's monster survived the attack.

Marik laughed and continued to taunt him. "Where's your faith in the cards now, Pharaoh?"

"Don't listen to that bastard, Yami, you can do this," I said. "Just focus. Keep your mind focused on one thing, only _one_ thing. Just focus on winning."

"What hurtful words," Marik said to me.

I ignored him.

"I will make Slifer destroy itself," said Yami.

"About time," said Kaiba.

"What's he mean?" asked Mokuba.

"What makes you think you can?" asked Marik.

"It's a simple matter of common sense," said Yami. "If all of my monsters are too weak, then I must use your monster to destroy itself."

"Haven't you realized yet that and Egyptian God card cannot be controlled? It's much too powerful, Pharaoh," said Marik.

"We'll see," said Yami.

"Perhaps you don't have as much knowledge about the Egyptian God cards as you think you do," I added.

"How dare you challenge my wisdom of the ancient ways? I know all!" Marik roared. I wasn't sure which one of us he was talking to. He was just furious. "You will pay for those careless words, Olive."

"We'll find out how much you know soon enough, Marik," said Yami.

"I'd like to see you try and turn Slifer against me," said Marik.

"What's Yugi talking about? I mean, sure he's a great duelist, but how can he make that Egyptian God card destroy itself. That dragon seems way too strong to control. Sounds crazy to me," I heard Mokuba think.

"It may sound crazy," I told him, "but Yami will be able to pull this off."

Mokuba gave me a strange look and then turned to his brother. "What's going on?" he asked.

"It's quite simple, Mokuba," said Kaiba. "The dragon's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness."

"Time for you to make your move. I promise it will be your last," said Marik.

"Is that so? We'll see, Marik," said Yami. He drew a card.

"What is it?" asked Marik.

"Just what I need," said Yami, "to take you down." He used Monster Reborn to bring back his buster blader in attack mode.

Marik was able to draw three more cards and then Slifer attacked the buster blader. "My next attack will finish you off," said Marik. "Your reign as Pharaoh is almost over so prepare to surrender your puzzle."

"I'm afraid there won't be a next turn for you," said Yami. "Once buster blader attacks your Egyptian God card, you'll be defeated, Marik. Now watch as my plan to slay your so-called indestructible dragon begins."

"Has Yugi lost it?" I heard Mokuba think.

"Time for me to end this duel right now," said Yami.

"I'm ready for your pathetic attack," said Marik.

"This is it," I heard Kaiba think. "Someone's about to lose this duel."

"Buster blader, attack Slifer the Sky Dragon with your powerful blade," said Yami.

"This is actually quite amusing," said Marik, nonchalantly.

The attack was blocked by Marik's revival jam. It revived and Yami played the magic card brain control.

"I think I understand Yugi's plan," said Mokuba. "He wants to use brain control to take over Slifer's mind, but I still think Slifer's too strong to be controlled."

"It's not that simple," said Marik. "Sorry, Yami, but I'm afraid all magic cards are ineffective against Egyptian God Monsters."

But Yami didn't take control of Slifer. He took control of the revival jam.

Marik drew three more cards and told Slifer to attack. But, because of Slifer's special ability, his second mouth had to attack revival jam.

"You know what happens now," said Yami.

"Revival jam revives itself again," said Marik, in disbelief.

"And each time a monster regenerates, you have to draw three more cards from your dueling deck," said Yami.

Marik drew three cards.

"This can't be," I heard Marik think. "Whenever revival jam reappears on the field, my dragon automatically attacks it and since Yami controls revival jam, it will revive itself on his side of the field. Which make me draw three more cards, then my dragon will attack again. Each event triggers the next in a never ending cycle. First attack, then regenerate, then draw. My Egyptian God card will continue to grow stronger with each cycle as I draw more cards. But it doesn't matter because I'm trapped." A cry of fury sounded in my mind. "There's no way out!" he shouted out loud.

"That's right, Marik," said Yami. "Once you run out of cards to draw, you will automatically lose this duel!"

The mime he was controlling dropped his cards. "No!" Marik cried out. "This can't be happening!"

"As powerful as your Egyptian God card is, no monster is without weakness and the sky dragon's flaw lies within its special ability – its second mouth attack.

"I have no control over my Egyptian God monster!" he thought furiously. I put my hand to my head, but I was grateful that it didn't hurt worse. "As long as Yami's brain control is in affect, my dragon will keep attacking revival jam and my mind slave will keep drawing cards until…" he paused. I watched the mind slave try to draw cards where there were none. "No!" he cried.

"I turned your dragon against you, causing you to use all the cards in your dueling deck," said Yami.

"No," said Marik, weakly. His mind slave dropped to his knees. "Savor this victory while you can, for it will be your last," he said.

"Yugi won the duel!" Mokuba cheered. "What a totally amazing come back!" he ran down the stairs and walked up to Marik's mind slave. "Hand over your Egyptian God card to Yugi. Tournament rules. Come on, snap out of it," he said, when the man didn't respond. "I mean, no one likes to lose, but rules are rules you know? Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, mister, it's just a game." He saw the card of Slifer the Sky Dragon lying on the ground and picked it up. He handed Slifer and the locator card to Yami.

Kaiba walked down the stairs and challenged Yami to a duel.


	20. Marik's Threat

Chapter Twenty

It was then that Marik's mind slave stood back up, laughing. "Silly fools," he said. Mokuba jumped away from him, startled.

"I've had enough of your mind tricks, Marik!" Yami said. "It's time for you to show yourself."

"Not to worry, Pharaoh. You'll meet me sooner than you think. I'm on my way to Battle City as we speak," said Marik. "Once I'm there, the next phase of my plans begins. I assure you the power of the Pharaoh will be mine! My loyal mind servants are preparing for my arrival right now."

"Where are they, Marik?" asked Yami.

"I have rare hunters everywhere in Battle City," said Marik. "And I can see all. I see millennium puzzle that will be mine. I see a defenseless city waiting to be conquered. And I see potential mind slaves in every crowd. I'm always searching for new servants to add to my army of rare hunters. I wonder who'll be next?" He paused. "So tell me, Pharaoh. Which of your friends would make the best mind slave? Tea? Joey, perhaps?"

"You leave them alone!" Yami shouted. "Understand? I'm warning you!"

"Well, it appears I've hit your sensitive spot, haven't I, Pharaoh? Perhaps I can use your friends to get what I want from you, namely your puzzle and the Egyptian God card you've won."

"I told you, leave my friends out of this!" Yami repeated.

"Or else you'll what? Your friends are meaningless to me. Besides, I have nothing to lose and the whole world to gain." He laughed.

"Do _not_ test me!" Yami said. He was angrier than I'd ever seen him before. "If any harm befalls my friends, you _will_ regret it, Marik. They've done nothing to you, so you settle your score with me."

"Just as my dragon's one weakness destroyed it, your loyalty to your friends will soon destroy you," said Marik. And his mind slave collapsed on the ground.

"Marik, no!" Yami cried. "I must save them." He turned to me. "Olive, come on," he said. He had my hand and we were running towards the city before I even realized what was going on.

"Hey, get back here right now!" Kaiba demanded when we had gone a few steps.

Yami stopped and turned around.

I turned and ran back. I shoved Kaiba as hard as I could. He stumbled, but only a little bit. I pulled my fist back to punch him but he grabbed both my wrists tightly. I glared, furiously, at him.

"You. Fucking. _Asshole_," I snapped. "Can you not see that there are more important things than a stupid card game?" I demanded. "People's live are stake!"

"Olive, control your temper," said Yami. "Our duel will have to wait, Kaiba," he said. "Our friends are in great danger and their safety is more important to me than anything in this world." He held his hand out to me once again. I ran back to him and we took off.

"Good luck," said Mokuba quietly.

Once we were in the city, we were stopped by two duelists.

"Going somewhere?" asked one of the men who was short, fat, and bald. "If you'd like to rescue your friends, you'll have to make it past us first."

"And that's no easy task," added the second guy, who was tall and skinny with blue hair.

"Listen carefully," said Yami. "I _will_ get past!"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid the only way to get past us is to defeat us in a duel," said the short guy.

"Yea," added the man with blue hair, "and that means you have to defeat both of us. Sorry, but we have strict orders from Master Marik."

They turned to each and began to discuss who would go first.

"I'm going to keep looking, Yami," I whispered to him. "I have no reason to be here. I don't duel. I'll call you if I find them."

Yami nodded and I took off down a different street before they could notice me leave.

"I have eyes everywhere, Olive," Marik's voice echoed through my head. He sounded so close that I thought he was speaking out loud for a moment and I stopped in my tracks. I shook my head and kept running, forcing his laugh out of my mind. I focused on only one thing – finding Tea.

I turned down another alley, which was eerily empty, and ran straight into Bakura. He caught me with his hands and kept me from continuing to run. I felt the dark energy around him before I even realized who it was, I started to scream.

"Olive, Olive," he said, as I beat his chest with my fists. "Olive!" Bakura shouted, grabbing my wrists. "It's me, Olive, it's me. What's the matter with you?"

I looked at him and even though I felt the dark presence, it was Bakura, not the spirit of his ring. I was shaking, but I stopped hitting him. "I'm s-sorry," I said. "I'm sorry, Bakura. There's just…a lot…a lot going on and you scared me. I thought you were…s-someone else."

"Are you alright? What's going on?" he asked me.

"Oh, Bakura," I said. "I wish I could explain all of it to you."

"Why can't you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I don't have time, Bakura. I have to find Tea and Joey."

"I just saw them," he said.

"You did?" I asked. "Oh, Bakura, where are they?"

"How about you tell me what's going on first?" he asked.

"Bakura, you wouldn't understand. I barely understand it myself. I don't want to drag you into all of this," I said.

"I want to be dragged into it," he said.

"You would think I was crazy," I told him.

"Try me," he said, smiling.

"Well, the spirit of Yugi's millennium puzzle is an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, there's a crazy guy named Marik who can control people's minds coming after us, and you're sometimes psycho and possessed, although I don't know if you know that or if it's going to cause trauma for me to say so," I took a deep breath. I'd been talking fast. "And I can read people's thoughts. That's the watered down version. I've got to go, Bakura. I've got to find them."

I started down the alleyway, away from him.

"Olive," he said.

I stopped and turned. "What, Kura?" I asked, impatiently.

"I don't think you're crazy," he said.

For a second, I felt so elated that I couldn't think straight. Before I knew what I was doing, I'd run back to him and I kissed him. He was shocked for a second and then he kissed me back. I heard a motorcycle a street over from us and I snapped back to reality.

"I really have to go, Bakura," I said, taking a few steps away.

He nodded. "Okay," he said, sounding like he still wasn't quite sure what had happened.

I looked up at him through my eyelashes and smiled. "I wouldn't mind continuing this later though," I said, with a half smile.

He tried not to smile, but the corners of his lips turned up slightly. "I think that can be arranged," he said.

"I'll see you later," I said, and I took off running.


	21. Captured

Chapter Twenty-One

I ran until I felt like I'd looked everywhere I could think of. I'd been running for what felt like hours. I sat down on a bench in front of the aquarium with a growl of frustration. I crossed my legs, and put my head in my hands. People walked past me and feelings and thoughts assaulted me. Breathing carefully, I focused on clearing my mind. Then I thought only of Tea and Joey and where they might be, but all I could tell was that they were both focused on the same thing. A duel, I assumed. With a frustrated sigh, I jumped up and began to pace up and down the street.

After I'd paced up and down the street several times, I saw them. They had just walked out of the aquarium.

Joey let out a cheer and tossed Tea's phone in the air. She ran to catch it.

"Joey! Be careful with my stuff!" Tea complained.

"Joey! Tea!" I shouted, more urgently and irritated than I meant to.

"Olive!" Joey cheered, grinning. He picked me up and spun me in a circle.

"Put me down you lunatic!" I cried.

"Sorry," said Joey, "but Serenity takes her bandages off tonight!"

"Wow! That's so great!" said Tea.

"Oh, my gosh!" I said, suddenly so excited for Joey and his little sister. "Joey, that's great! In honor of your sister, we can spin in as many circles as you want."

"This is great news!" said Yugi's grandfather.

He laughed. "She's coming to the finals with us, guys," he said. "I just need someone to go pick her up. Someone I can really depend on…" Tristan practically jumped in his face, offering to pick her up.

"I'll go and get her," he said.

"No way!" said Joey, but Tristan was already running off down the street.

"I think someone has a crush on Serenity," I said.

"Olive, don't even say that," said Joey.

I laughed. My phone rang. I dug through my backpack to find it and then walked a few feet away to answer. "Hello?" I said.

"Hey, baby," it was my mom. "I just called to see how you're doing."

"I'm great, Mom," I said. "Guess what? Joey made it into the tournament finals! Oh, and his sister, gets to remove her bandages and leave the hospital tonight."

"Joey's sister was in the hospital?" my mom asked.

"I told you about her, Mom," I said. "She's the girl who was starting to go blind, but Joey used the Duelist Kingdom money to pay for her operation. Anyway, the finals start later tonight and so I wanted to go with my friends, if that's okay."

"How long will you be gone?" asked my mom.

"Um…" I thought.

"I'm just kidding," she said, laughing. "Go on ahead and have fun. Be safe. Do you have some extra clothes with you?"

"Yea, of course I do," I said. "Thanks, Mom. I love you." I kissed the receiver. "Bye!"

"Buh-bye darlin," she said.

I hung up and turned back to my friends, but what I saw made my heart stop. Bakura, unconscious and limp, was being supported by some guy. Tea, Joey, and Yugi's grandfather had already rushed over to them. My heart started beating fast and I ran over to him. I fell to my knees on the ground, hard, but I didn't notice the pain.

"Bakura?" I whispered, laying his head in my lap. There was panic in my voice and I could feel tears starting in my eyes. I blinked them away, furiously. I hated to cry. "Bakura, come on? Are you okay?"

"I just found him lying on the ground," the guy who was supporting him was explaining. He sounded far away.

"He doesn't look so good," said Tea.

"I tried to take care of his injuries," said the guy. "You know him? He hasn't said a word since I found him."

I leaned close to his face, whispering, "You're okay, you're okay. Come on, Kura. Wake up. Tell me you're okay."

"We're buddies," said Joey. "But who do you think could have done this?"

"Olive?" Bakura whispered. He knelt up and I let out a cry of relief.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Who did this?" Joey demanded.

"It…it happened so quickly. I can't remember," he said.

"I'm lucky I found you all. He needs to go to a hospital, quickly," said the other guy.

"You're right," said Tea.

"Sounds like Bakura's the lucky one," said Yugi's grandfather. "I'll take him to see a doctor right now."

"I'll go with you," I said, quickly.

Bakura shook his head. "No, Olive," he said. "Yugi and Joey need your support at the finals. Please, don't worry about me."

"But…" I started to protest.

"I'll be okay," he insisted.

Joey and Mister Muto helped him up and I hailed a cab. I helped him get inside.

"He'll be alright," said Mister Muto. "I'll call if there's some news."

"Alright," said Joey. "Best of luck."

After they drove off, Tea and Joey went back to thank the guy who had brought him to us. I watched the car drive away and then followed them.

"I'm Namu," the guy was saying. "And you are?"

Once I caught sight of him, my mouth dropped open. Although I was still concerned for Bakura, my thoughts instantly went crazy. I silently cursed my mother for having A.D.H.D. His hair was a pale blond, his skin smooth and tan. He wore gold earrings, a necklace, and wrist bands. His shirt was purple and, for whatever reason, was short enough to show of a strip of his flat, tan abs. He was wearing a pair of baggy black pants and black shoes. His eyes, lined in dark eye liner, were violet.

"Well, well, if it isn't Blondie," I said, smiling. "I guess I can finally say I know your name, huh?"

My summer love from Egypt smiled. "How you doing, kid?" he asked.

"It's Olive," I said. "I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again."

"Come here," he said, pulling me into a hug.

"You know this guy, Olive?" asked Joey.

"Yea," I nodded. "We studied together in Egypt last summer."

"The name's Joey," Joey said, shaking his hand.

"And I'm Tea," said Tea. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for all your help."

"Yes, thank you," I said.

"Of course," he said. "I just did what anyone would have done."

"I'm really grateful you did," I said.

"Former love rescues your current love?" he asked me, smirking a little.

I shook my head, blushing. "Bakura's just…I'm not dating anyone," I said.

"Is that a duel disk on your arm?" Joey asked, suddenly.

"Yes," said Namu. "But I'm afraid I'm not much of a duelist. You're not challenging me to a duel, are you Joey?"

"_No_," I insisted, with a look at Joey. "He's _not_."

"I don't have to duel," said Joey. "I already qualify for the finals, Namu."

"Wow," said Namu. "That's impressive. Maybe you could give me some tips one day."

"I'll see if I can fit you in," said Joey.

"I feel as if I've met you before," said Namu.

"Well, you have met Olive," said Tea.

"You seem familiar too," said Joey. "We've gotta go soon though. We should go find Yugi."

I agreed. "Here," I said. I handed Namu a piece of paper with my number scribbled on it. "Call me while you're still in town."

He nodded and the three of us walked away.

"See you later, Namu," said Joey.

"That was your _boyfriend_ from summer?" Tea asked me.

"He wasn't my boyfriend," I insisted. "We were just…having fun."

"Well, he seems like a nice enough guy," said Joey.

Tea nodded in agreement. "Totally," she said.

"…no idea who I really am…" I heard a glimpse of a thought and I looked around. Shaking my head, I continued to walk.

"Hey, wait up!" we heard a call behind us.

We turned. Namu was running towards us.

"I don't mean to be an inconvenience," he said. "But could you give me a few dueling tips right now?"

"Sure," said Joey. "I could hit you with a few pointers."

"Thanks, I'd like to win at least one duel in Battle City," said Namu.

"You've come to the right place, Namu," said Joey. "I've got so many dueling secrets it'll make your head spin. Just stick with me, Namu. You'll be a dueling expert in no time."

"Wait, Joey, look behind you," said Namu.

"Look out," I said, as someone in a black robe grabbed Namu.

Joey hit the guy behind him with his elbow. He caught the other one in the jaw with his fist before he could grab hold of me. Both men fell to the ground. "Piece of cake," he bragged.

Tea screamed. The fourth man was holding her.

"Let go of her, you creep!" Joey called.

"What do you want?" asked Tea.

"You're real tough," Joey taunted. "Why don't you pick on me?"

"Joey! Olive! Behind you!" Tea called.

"You fool!" one of them snarled, shoving Joey to the ground.

The second one grabbed me. "I have a knife, priestess," he growled in my ear. "So do my buddies. You are going to come quietly and you are not going to fight me, understand? Otherwise, not only will you get hurt, but your little friends will too."

Tea's phone began to ring.

"Expecting someone?" asked the guy who hand a hold of me. Still holding tight to me, he reached into her purse. Reluctantly, I didn't try to fight or call for help. "I'll take that," he said, grabbing her phone.

"Get off of my stuff!" said Tea.

"You heard her!" said Joey, who was being kept on the ground by the other guy.

The man who had a hold of me answered the phone.

"Hello? Tea?" we could hear Yami said. "Are you there? Hello?"

"Yugi help!" Tea shouted.

"Tea! Where are you?" he asked, before the rare hunter dropped it to the ground and stepped on it.

"You're gonna pay for that!" said Joey.

"Looks like your friend won't find you now," said the rare hunter holding Tea.

"YAMI!" I screamed in my mind. "Can you hear me? Somehow?"

"I don't think he can hear you," came Marik's taunting voice.

I jumped. How was he answering me? How was he hearing my thoughts?

"Your mind isn't closed," he thought back at me. "You have a lot to learn. Lucky for you, I can teach you."

Everything went black.


	22. Dreams

**A/N :: Hey! The reason why is a long story, but I'm sorry I didn't update for so long! It involves going on a trip to Seoul and my laptop being stolen, which was a very depressing thing for me that still makes me sick to my stomach to think about :S Anyway, onto the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two

_"You have betrayed me," accused the priest who looked so much like Kaiba. He wore a purple and gold hat similar to a turban and a long white cape. There were gold arm bands around his upper arms and a large golden ankh hung on a chain around his neck. There was anger in his eyes. I could see something else in those eyes too. Pain. "How could you do this to me, Olive? I thought..."_

_"You thought what?" I demanded in a cruel voice. The sneer on my lips felt unusual to me. I gazed up at him through my thick eyelashes and through the strands of hair that had fallen in my eyes. I was wearing a long, dark green dress with gold, jeweled belt around my waist. There was a bracelet around my ankle with ankh charms hanging off it and gold bands around my wrists. My eyes were lined thickly in black and my feet were still bare. There was a scar across my left cheek exactly like the one I'd gotten at Duelist Kingdom. On my right forearm was a tattoo of the eye that was on the millennium puzzle. "Did you think we were in love?" I asked, mockingly. I laughed softly and turned away from him. "You are a fool," I said, bitterly. "My love runs deep for those who can reciprocate the power that is my very essence. You do not even come close."_

_Shaking in anger, he moved to grab me by the shoulders. Without so much as a movement from me, he was shoved backwards, hard, into the nearest wall. Even though he didn't fall, I saw him flinch visibly. _

_"How dare you even think of touching me?" I demanded, power coursing through my body. I could feel my heart pumping more and more power through my body with each beat, the way most people's hearts pumped blood. "Priest or not, I was created from power that you will never understand. Where you were born from man and woman, I was born from the universe - the daughter of the gods of the heavens and the demons of the underworld. Do not make the mistake of thinking for a second that you are my equal. I betray no one. I see past the bigger picture. I see everything. I see every dark corner of everybody's mind." I turned and walked away. _

_"Go on, Priestess," he called after me. "Go and run to your Thief King. My cousin will be overcome with joy to hear of the betrayal hidden in your precious gifts."_

_With fire in my eyes, I turned and motioned him towards me. To an observer, it would have looked as if Kaiba, in an instant, disappeared and reappeared directly in front of me. Only I understood the magic I controlled. _

_"You dare to threaten me, Priest?" I asked, calmly. _

_He didn't answer, he only stared into my eyes. _

_After several moments, I made a disgusted noise and turned away from him. "Do not make the mistake of assuming you understand anything that is going on," I told him. "You will regret any words you speak against me. Besides," I added, as I walked away, "your cousin, the Pharaoh, trusts me above all others. It is foolish of you to think that he would listen to you for a second."_

_As I walked away, shadows closed in on me, but I continued to walk forward. When the shadows cleared away, I found myself standing in a garden. I looked up at the sky, frowning, and then looked around me. My eyes were drawn to a dark corner of the garden, where I thought I saw movement. I walked forward, but when I reached the corner, no one was there. Frowning, I turned around. I almost screamed, but a hand came down roughly on my mouth. _

_"Did I scare you, Priestess?" he asked. He looked so much like Bakura that the part of me that knew who I was ached with worry. The part of me who knew this was the person who would become the ancient spirit trapped in the millennium ring wanted to scream and run away. _

_Instead, I pushed his hand away and met his eyes fearlessly. "You merely startled me," I said. _

_He grinned and put his arm in my way before I could duck around him. "Have you missed me?" he asked. _

_I looked up at him, frowning, and for a second, I thought about telling him no. Then I smiled and said, "Of course." With a smirk that made my heart skip a beat, he leaned down and kissed me on the lips. I pulled him closer to me, kissing him back passionately. Then I pushed him away. _

_"You have been gone for a very long time," he said. _

_I nodded. "I had business to attend to," I said. _

_"For your Pharaoh?" he asked, with an obvious note of dislike in his voice._

_I nodded again. "Of course," I said. _

_"Do you have any loyalty? Do you have any conscious?" he asked me. _

_"No," I said, simply. "I was created to serve those who were worthy. The Pharaoh will save the world. I will be there to assist him."_

_"And yet you have betrayed him?" asked the man, the Thief King._

_"I have not betrayed him," I said. "I have simply ensured that, in the future, our souls will find each other again."_

_He grabbed me and, unlike Kaiba, I let him._

_"Why me?" he asked. _

_I didn't answer. _

_"You belong to me, Olive," he said. "You belong to me."_

_"I belong to no one," I replied, suddenly angry. _

_He backhanded me across the face. "You. Belong. To. Me," he said, carefully enunciating every word. _

* * *

"Olive? Olive! Wake up!" I heard someone shout and I snapped out of my dream.

"What's going on?" I whispered. I was sitting back-to-back with someone. Actually, I was tied to this someone with rope. My wrists were bound tightly in front of me. So were my knees and my ankles. I was blindfolded as well. "Where am I?" I asked, panicking in the split second before I realized it was just a blindfold.

"We're tied up," said the other person, who I realized was Namu. "Do you remember the rare hunters capturing Joey, Tea, you, and me?" he asked. "They brought you and me to this room and tied us up. You were unconscious, but I'm happy to see that you're awake now."

"How long have we been here?" I asked.

"A few hours, I think," said Namu. "Are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?"

"What?"

"Sorry, but you were whimpering in your sleep," he explained. "I assumed..."

"Oh," I said. "Oh, yea. I had a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked me.

"Not especially," I said. I sighed and leaned my head back against his.

"I'd like to get inside your mind, Olive, but for some reason, I can't," Namu told me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, suddenly tense. Something about him made me both curious and uneasy.

"I just meant that you never let me be a real part of your life," he said.

"Oh," I said, relaxing. "Well, there are a lot of complicated things I wouldn't want you dragged into. Like getting kidnapped in the middle of a card game tournament, for instance." I laughed a little. I heard Namu laugh a little bit too.

After a moment of silence, I asked, "Why didn't you ever tell me your name?"

"I thought you wanted to keep things simple last summer," he said.

"Simple is when your summer doesn't follow you back home and show up at the worst possible time," I pointed out. "There's this guy, named Marik, who is after my friend Yugi."

"Really?" asked Namu, sounding curious. "Any idea why?"

I sighed. "It's a really long story," I said.

"I think I can get these ropes undone," said Namu.

"Really?" I asked, excited.

"Yea," he said.

After a few minutes, I felt the ropes tying us together loosen. He held me up while he moved in front of me so that I wouldn't fall over when I didn't have him to lean against anymore. First, he undid the blindfold. The first thing I saw were his amazing violet eyes. He smiled and undid the ropes around my wrists.

"I missed you," he said, as he started on the ropes around my knees.

"I missed you too," I said. "I never thought I'd see you again, though."

"I know," he said. "Obviously. I doubt your boyfriend would like me very much."

"I don't know, you did help save him," I joked.

He gave me a look.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said. "He's my...best friend. I already told you, I'm not dating anyone."

He finished with the ropes and moved closer to me. I could feel his breath when he spoke. "If he's not your boyfriend, then give me a kiss," he said.

"I don't take kindly to being ordered around," I said, moving a hand to shove him away.

He grabbed my hand and kissed me, pushing me to the ground. Falling quickly into old habits, I kissed him back. It was only a split second, but then I pushed him away.

"Namu, stop," I said. "I'm sorry, but I need to get out of here. My friends could be in trouble and my...Bakura is in the hospital. This is no time for a reunion. Besides, that isn't how these things work. You don't just waltz into my life and assume we can pick up right where we left off."

He sat up, looking confused and slightly annoyed for a moment. Silently, he stood up and offered me his hand. I shook my head and stood up on my own. He watched me for a moment and right as he was about to speak, his gaze was drawn to something behind me. In the second it took for me to turn and look, my head erupted in a terrible, unexpected headache. A man in a black robe stood behind me. His face was covered in shadows, but I could see tattoos on his face. He was holding the millennium rod.

"The millennium items don't work on me," I said, calmly. "Good luck trying to control my mind."

I saw the man's gaze flicker to Namu for a split second.

"I don't need to control your mind, Priestess," he said. "I only need to know that you are who you claim to be." He held up the millennium rod. The eye on it began to glow. At the same time, the eye-shaped scar on my arm began to glow.

For a second, I didn't know who I was or what overcame me. Images of my dream flooded my mind and I waved my hand as if I were brushing away a fly. The man stumbled to the side and the world spun, nauseatingly. I stumbled and fell, catching myself with the palms of my hands. The smell of salt water filled my nose and I looked around.

Where was I?

I stood up and began to walk. Rounding a corner, I found myself faced with the strangest looking duel I'd ever seen. On one side of a square shaped dock was Joey, wearing the millennium puzzle. On the other side was Yugi. Both had a chain around their ankles hooked to an anchor that was suspended in the air between them. Off to one side, Tea was sitting in a high-backed stone chair, her arms bound. There was a tractor holding a large square cement block over her head. The man in the tractor looked like a rare hunter. Watching the entire scene play out before them, was Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, Tristan, Duke Devlin, Mai Valentine, and a shorter red-haired girl with bandages covering her eyes who I assumed was Joey's little sister, Serenity.

As I approached, Joey turned towards me. His eyes had gone dark and appeared to be void of pupils. "How nice of you to join us, Olive," he said in a voice that I not only heard, but that echoed through my head.

"The pleasure is all mine," I said, sarcastically. "What the hell is going on?" I asked the others.


	23. Near Death Experience

Chapter Twenty-Three

Everyone looked at me, surprised to see me there.

"We thought Marik would have taken control of you too when we were told you'd been kidnapped," said Mai.

"Yea, we assumed you'd fallen prey to this magic bull shit too," Kaiba added, rolling his eyes.

"The millennium items don't work on me," I said, in a bland tone, meeting his gaze. For a second, all I could see was the ancient priest who looked so much like him. I was getting sick of repeating that specific sentence over and over again. "What's going on?"

"We were coming to rescue you, Olive," said Mokuba, giving me a quick hug. When Kaiba shot him a glare, he let go. "When we got here, Joey and Tea were being controlled and they led Yugi to this duel. We didn't have time to look around for you. Honestly, I thought you were being controlled too, waiting til this Marik guy told you to show up. Mai showed up with Tristan, Duke, and Serenity just a minute ago. What happened to you?"

"It's a long story, but I got away," I said.

"It's good to see you're okay," said Mai.

"Thanks," I said, smiling and giving her a hug.

"I wish I could say the same for everyone else here," Mai added, with a frown.

"What exactly is going on?" I asked. I hugged Tristan, who looked very worried. "Is this Serenity?" I asked, motioning to the red head.

Tristan nodded.

I crouched down a little, since she was shorter than me, and said, "Hey, sweetie. My name's Olive Reynolds. I'm one of your brother's friends. It's really great to meet you and see that you're feeling better."

"Thanks, Olive," said Serenity. "Joey's talked about you before."

"All good, I hope," I said, pleasantly.

"Of course," said Serenity.

"That must have been one short conversation," Kaiba commented.

"Ouch," I said, sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I put my hands over my heart. "You are just breaking my heart, Kaiba. I'm gonna make you pay for that."

"Don't count on it," Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"Are your eyes okay?" I asked Serenity.

"The doctor's said everything was okay," she said. "I'm just...waiting."

I nodded and straightened up. Duke pulled me into a hug and kept an arm around my shoulders. I kept my arms around his waist. Something about Duke Devlin just made it impossible not to flirt with him.

"It's been a while, pretty girl," he said.

"Yea, who should I thank for that?" I teased.

"Whether you'll admit it or not, I know you missed me," he said, smiling confidently. "Still into blue eyes?"

Kaiba glanced at me, smirking, and I felt my face flush.

"Not so much anymore," I said. "I've got my eyes set on someone with some dark brown eyes now. Still into pretty girls who talk too much?"

"You skipped right over green," said Duke. "And most definitely."

"As beautiful as your eyes are, Duke, I'll have to pass for now. I would probably get killed by your many admirers anyway," I said.

He laughed. "Too bad. Well, the offer's always open," he said.

I motioned to the duel. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Marik," said Tristan, sounding angrier than I expected. "He's controlling Joey and Tea's minds."

"When we got here, Joey was waiting for us," Mokuba explained. "He challenged Yugi to a duel. If Joey loses, then the anchor will drop and he'll get pulled underwater. If Yugi loses, the same thing will happen _and _he'll lose his millennium puzzle necklace thing."

"Yea, and if we move to help them or to go call for help, then that Rare Hunter will drop that thing on Tea and kill her," said Tristan.

"Damn," I said. "Marik doesn't kid around, does he?"

Joey smiled cruelly at me when I said that. I shook my head. It wasn't Joey who was smiling. I had to remember that it was Marik. This guy was a psychopath.

"I went to the hospital earlier to pick up Serenity," Tristan kept speaking. "Well when I left, those rare hunter guys started chasing us," he lowered his voice, "to try and get Serenity, but I don't want to scare her. I think they were going to use her to threaten Joey somehow. Anyway, Duke showed up and helped us get away and while I took on the rare hunters, Duke ran into Mai and we came here."

"Mokuba and Kaiba were already here," said Mai.

I turned to look at them.

"We came here with Yugi," said Mokuba.

I looked at Kaiba. "Are you okay?" I asked him. He was being incredibly quiet.

He rolled his eyes. "What do _you_ think, kid?" he asked.

"Do _not_ call me that," I snapped. Guilt flooded my body when I thought of the kiss from Namu. All it made me think of was my even earlier kiss from Bakura.

"Oh, why not?" asked Kaiba, mocking. "Did I touch a nerve?"

"Can you two do this later?" Mokuba asked, sounding irritated. "Seriously, you two fight like an old married couple."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," I told Mokuba, with a stern look. He smiled mischievously and I turned back to the duel.

Although Yugi was playing a very well, I could see the strain on his face. Not only was it hard for him to see Joey this way, but Marik was a relentless and talented player. He was willing to do anything to get what he wanted, including killing innocent people. I looked from Tea, whose eyes had gone back to normal, to Joey, who had suddenly taken a piece out of the millennium puzzle and was going to throw it.

"Joey, stop!" I called. "You're stronger than he is!"

"Joey cannot hear you, Olive," Marik snarled. "He cannot overcome the power of my millennium rod."

But Joey's arm froze in mid air as if he were struggling to regain control. We watched him struggle, his body shaking. "No," he whispered. "I can't do it..." I could feel Marik's rage wash through my body and I shuddered, suddenly extremely grateful to have gotten away from him.

"It's over, Yugi!" Joey declared, in Marik's voice, turning back to the duel. "I activate meteor of destruction!" But just as the meteor was about to hit Yugi, he activated a card which stopped the attack. He was able to aim the attack wherever he chose and he chose himself.

"What the hell is he doing?" Duke asked quietly.

I shrugged. "Devlin, I know as much about duel monsters as I do about your dungeon dice game," I said. "Which is to say, I know pretty much nothing at all."

"I want you to know how important your friendship is to me, Joey," said Yugi. "Even if it means sacrificing myself..."

Wind picked up behind us, and I turned to see a helicopter.

"Looks like the girl dies too," said the rare hunter that was standing near Tea.

But before he could push the button, Kaiba had flipped a card at him that hit his wrist, hard. Surprised, the rare hunter dropped the remote. He ran forward and hit the guy in the face, then kicked him, knocking him down. Mokuba rushed forward to undo Tea's restraints.

"In a less serious situation, that would have been a little bit sexy. Hey, Mister Kaiba, after I'm through with Devlin here, how about I _give you a call_," I said. Kaiba fought to hide his annoyance at the comment. He muttered something under his breath that I was sure was along the lines of 'bitch'.

There was a blast of light, and I turned to see the meteor explode, destroying all of Yugi's monsters. The impact of the attack made Yugi fall to his knees. I ran forward to help with Tea and Tristan.

"Yugi!" Tea cried out.

"Yugi!" Joey called. He grabbed the chain around his ankle and swung to the other side of the dock where Yugi was lying. But before he reached Yugi, there was a terrible creaking sound and we watched, horrified, as the anchor dropped. Yugi and Joey were dragged down with it. I fell on my knees at the edge of the dock, barely managing not to fall into the water myself. I squinted, peering into the dark water.

"Yugi! Joey!" I screamed.

"Are they alive?" asked Tea.

I was shaking. I was too panicked to think of using my powers to read their minds or trying to sense them. A few seconds passed and then Yugi's head broke the surface. Tristan was in the water in an instant. He grabbed him and helped him to the dock.

"Mokuba, call for help," I said, helping Duke pull him out of the water. "We've gotta get Joey."

Mokuba turned to run for help, but stopped, in shock. We all looked up in time to see Serenity disappearing beneath the waves.

"What the..." Mai began, but didn't finish her sentence. We were all too shocked.

Another minute passed and Serenity resurfaced with Joey.

I let out a cry and felt tears fill my eyes. "Gods!" I cried out, fighting to control my tears and my breathing. My heart was pounding. "What just happened? Don't you ever do that to me again!"

* * *

**A/N :: Sorry that updates have been so infrequent! Last week I went on a trip and then I caught the flu. Hopefully things will return to normal in the next couple of days. Please keep reading and reviewing ! :) **


	24. Duel: Mai vs Jean Claude Magnum

**A/N :: This really isn't my favorite episode, but it sure sets up some cuteness involving Joey and Mai, so I had to write it :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Leave reviews and I should have another update tomorrow! **

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Yugi," said Joey, looking troubled. "I'm...I, uh. I'm sorry, man."

"It's okay," said Yugi, smiling. "It's not your fault."

"But I could have killed you, Yugi," said Joey. "And I almost destroyed our friendship."

Yugi laughed a little. "Yea, but in the end not only did you save our friendship, Joey. You saved me," he said.

"I had no choice. Once I realized what was going on, I had to make things right," said Joey. "Ever since we became friends, we've looked out for each other. No rare hunter creep was going to change that."

"It's okay..." said Yugi, as Joey grew more and more frustrated.

"Joey," I said, quietly.

"That Marik made a complete fool out of me! How can I show my face at the finals now?" Joey asked, angrily.

"Will you get a grip, please? You showed some real courage out there, Joey, so who cares how you looked?" asked Mai. "Remember the courage you showed at Duelist Kingdom when you dueled for your sister? What she did today, she did because of you. You're her idol, you jackass."

"What kind of idol gets turned into a zombie and then almost destroys his best friend?" Joey demanded. "Talk about setting a bad example."

"Tea got turned into a zombie too," I said, quietly.

"Not helping, Olive," said Duke.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Tristan snapped at Joey. "Your sister gets her strength from you. That's why she waited til now to take her bandages off."

Joey looked shocked. He turned to his sister. "I almost forgot, Serenity. You can see now," he said.

She nodded, her eyes lighting up when he looked at her. "I was afraid at first, but hearing you save Yugi inspired me," she said. "After I took my bandages off and opened my eyes, you showed me what courage was all about, Joey. I just had to dive in."

"Really?" asked Joey.

"I made it through my operation because of you," said Serenity. "You've always been there for me. Today it was my turn to be there for you, big brother." She sobbed and he pulled her into his arms. She smiled. "Joey, I'd say we're a pretty good team," she said.

"I'm glad we're all together, guys," said Yugi, smiling at us. "I'm glad that everyone is okay."

As we walked away from the dock, Joey gave Yugi his millennium puzzle back.

"I owe a big thanks to you too, Yami. I never could have gotten through to Joey if you hadn't trusted me to handle this on my own," I heard Yugi think. It made me smile for some reason.

"Anyone hungry?" asked Joey.

"I'm starving!" said Tristan.

Duke put his arm back around me. "Will you let me buy you dinner, beautiful?" he asked.

I smiled and was about to answer, when I looked up and saw Kaiba and Mokuba walking away.

"Hey, Kaiba," said Yugi, cheerfully. He was smiling, gratefully. "We couldn't have gotten out of that mess without you."

"I did what I had to," said Kaiba, not even looking back.

"Well...thank you," said Yugi.

"I'll see you at the Battle City Finals," said Kaiba.

"I guess that means 'you're welcome'," Tristan muttered.

"He's such a jerk," I added, rolling my eyes.

"How did you date him?" asked Mai. "Is he ever cheerful?"

I laughed. "Yea, of course," I said, winking at her. "With the right person, in the right situation, if you know what I mean."

She laughed.

"Olive!" said Tea, blushing. "No one wants to hear you talk about things like that."

"I don't mind," Duke teased. "You can show me all about the right situation anytime."

"The finals!" said Joey. "I almost forgot. Well, we sure showed that Marik creep, didn't we? Now we can focus on the finals."

"Joey, he'll be back," I said.

"Maybe next time he'll actually show his face," said Yugi.

I frowned. "Maybe he will," I said.

"Serenity, now that you can see again, you'll be able to watch me duel all the way to the top and win the Battle City Finals!" said Joey, confidently.

"Look, Serenity," said Mai with a little laugh. She put her arm around Serenity's shoulders. "I know you're excited to see your big brother duel in the finals, but between us, girlfriend, Joey's not gonna last too much longer in the Battle City Tournament. Especially once he has to face me in a duel."

"I think this is Mai's idea of foreplay," I whispered to Duke, who laughed.

"Who beat who last time?" Joey asked, smugly.

"Pure luck," said Mai, waving away the comment. "Besides, Duelist Kingdom's ancient history and this time I plan to wipe out both of you boys."

"I'm sure you'll be tough to beat, Mai," said Yugi.

"Forget about her, Yugi. After what you and I've been through, the rest of this tournament's gonna be a breeze," said Joey. "Speaking of which, it's time to use our locator cards and find out where the finals are being held. So let's do this." He pulled out his locator cards and placed them on his duel disk, which immediately projected a map of a stadium.

"Congratulations," said a computerized voice. "Our satellite network has confirmed that you are a Battle City Finalist. Standby for directions to Kaiba Corp Stadium."

After Joey got directions, we went to a little diner to eat. I slid into a booth and leaned my head on Duke's shoulder. I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths and enjoying what had become a rare moment of peace for me.

I yawned.

"Tired?" Duke whispered.

"Yea..." I began, when the voices flooded my mind. I could tell that I should be in pain, but the headache seemed so far away that I didn't feel anything.

"Seems everything's going according to plan," I heard Marik say.

"Yes, and I've already done more than I agreed to do," I heard the unmistakable voice of the spirit of the millennium ring.

"You'll get my millennium rod and the other items when you complete your end of the bargain," said Marik. The way he spoke was so superior, it was almost as if he were taunting the spirit.

"Look," evil-Bakura snarled. "My patience is growing thin, Marik. What's the next part of the plan?"

"You'll obtain a duel disk and enter the Battle City Tournament Finals," said Marik. "I'll hand over the objects you seek if you can win me the cards that I desire."

Bakura laughed. "Not duelist enough to win them yourself, are you? Or is there something else you're not telling me about this scheme of yours, Marik?" he asked.

"Do you want the millennium items or don't you?" Marik demanded. "If so, I suggest you do as I say. Time to enter the finals is running out. You'll need to obtain six locator cards in order to qualify."

"Fine, Marik..." I heard Bakura said, before the voice faded from my mind.

"Are you okay?" Duke asked me.

"Yea, sure," I said. "Can you just...order for me, Duke? I need to make a phone call."

"Sure," he said.

I dialed the number of the hospital and they transferred me to Bakura's room.

"Solomon Muto speaking," Yugi's grandfather answered.

"Hey, Grandpa, it's Olive," I said.

"Oh, Olive!" he said cheerfully. "How are you? How are Joey and Yugi doing?"

"Actually, they both made it into the finals," I said.

"That's wonderful! Tell them congratulations," he said.

"I will. Hey, I was actually calling to ask you if Bakura's doing alright," I said. I listened while he explained the tests to me and told me about Bakura's reactions and how he'd been sleeping most of the day. "But he's doing good?" I asked. "Nothing is worse?"

"No, no, everything should be okay," said Yugi's grandpa. "We're waiting on the test results."

"Alright, great," I said. "Thank you so much. We'll see you soon. Okay. Bye." I hung up. "Your grandpa says he's proud of you guys," I told Yugi and Joey. I started to eat the sandwich Duke had ordered for me.

Once we finished eating, the eight of us crowded into Mai's car. We followed the directions until we were several blocks away, where Mai parked.

"Why are we parking all the way back here, Mai?" asked Joey.

"So that we don't get stuck in traffic when the finals are over," said Mai.

"Good thinking," said Joey.

Mai smiled appreciatively.

"Looks like you're getting another shot at the tournament championship after not quite making the cut last time," Joey said, conversationally, to Mai.

"That's right," said Mai. "And this time I plan to crush you and Yugi in front of a sold out crowd."

"Kinky," I said, smirking.

"Quiet, Olive," said Mai, rolling her eyes.

"Someone needs to relax," I said, laughing. "You all take this so seriously."

"It is serious, Olive," said Yugi, quietly, while Joey and Mai continued to talk.

"Hey," I said, quietly, catching up with him. "I know it's serious. I just think everyone needs to relax a little."

Yugi sighed. "You're probably right..." he trailed off, when we realized that Mai, Joey, and Serenity were a few feet behind us, looking at a poster billboard.

"I don't know why I even bother trying to talk to you!" Mai was yelling at Joey, when a car came crashing through the poster.

Mai jumped forward and Joey pulled her into his arms.

"You've gotta be kidding driving like that!" Joey said, angrily. "Who does he think he is?" He realized he was holding Mai and the two awkwardly stepped away from each other. Joey started walking towards the car, yelling at the drive while the rest of us walked back to see what was going on.

"Sorry, kid, I hope my entrance didn't spook you," said a man getting out of the car. Joey looked shocked. It was the actor from the poster. "I'm your number one fan!" Joey exclaimed. "Maybe you've heard of me, I'm somewhat of a celebrity myself. I cam e in second place at duelist kingdom..."

"That's Jean Claude Magnum," I said, surprised. "My mom's done PR for one of his parties once. He's sort of a moron."

The actor, Jean Claude Magnum, walked past Joey and straight up to Mai.

"Long time no see, sugar," he said, holding out a bouquet of roses for her. "Don't you see? I've come back from you Mai, just like you told me to."

"Sorry, slick, but you've got the wrong girl," said Mai, sounding confused.

"Mai! Sugar! Have you forgotten the offer you made me exactly one year ago?" asked Jean Claude.

"What offer?" asked Mai.

"It was an offer of love, Mai," he said. "We were aboard a cruise ship, dueling, and you beat me. I had never lost and I was blown away. And so I asked you for your hand in marriage. You told me to ask you again when I could beat you at duel monsters."

"Oh," said Mai, remembering. "I guess it's too late to say I was kidding, huh?"

He opened a box and revealed a large diamond ring.

"It's huge! It's so pretty!" Tea exclaimed.

"I plan to start a collection of those from my many male suitors before settling down," I said, laughing at myself. I turned to Duke and batted my eyes. "That is unless the right gentleman can win my heart," I said, in a breathless voice, making my eyes big and hopeful.

He smiled.

"I've come here today to make you the luckiest girl in the entire world," Jean Claude Magnum told Mai.

"Sorry, ninja boy, I'm not interested," said Mai, turning away.

"Slow down there, Mai," said Joey. "The man's come a long way. The least you could do is consider his offer." Mai looked confused for a second, then hurt by what Joey had said. "Face it, Mai. He's a move star and you're always craving attention, right?"

Mai's features went from hurt to annoyance and she pushed Joey's aside. "Give me one good reason why I should marry this clown," she said.

"Because if you don't marry him, I won't be able to visit your Beverly Hills Mansion," Joey said, grinning.

"Joey's an idiot," said Tristan.

"Yup," said Tea and I at the same time.

"Don't do it, Mai," I said. "California is overrated. And has really bad traffic."

"You told me to come back when I could beat you in a duel," said Jean Claude.

"Okay, then let's settle this with a duel, hot shot," said Mai.

"And if I win, you'll come back to Hollywood with me and be my bride," he said.

"You don't stand a chance," said Mai, confidently.

"Mai, wait," said Yugi.

"Yea, you're already going to the finals. Don't duel this guy," said Tristan.

"Mai will win in no time and we'll still make the finals," said Tea.

"Yay for duels," I said, blandly, rolling my eyes.

"Bored of card games?" asked Duke.

"I'm bored of games, dice man," I said, flicking his earring.

"You don't have to accept this guy's challenge, Mai," said Yugi. "It's not worth risking the finals for."

"Yugi's right, Mai," said Joey.

"No way," said Mai. "I want to show Mister Hollywood Ninja-Boy that I'm not just some prize to be won."

"Then prepare to lose this duel, but win a husband who's a star!" Jean Claude declared.

"I can't believe Mai is risking her spot in the Battle City Finals just to show this guy up," said Yugi, as Mai walked forward to begin the duel.

"Girl can't walk away from a challenge," I said.

Tea glared at Joey. "Smooth move telling her to marry some other guy, Joseph Wheeler," she said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Joey, looking confused.

"He's clueless," I said, rolling my eyes. I faced Duke and ran a finger down his chest. "Not all men can be quite so smooth when it comes to matters of the heart, isn't that right, Mister Devlin?" I asked, teasing.

"Olive, you're a shameless flirt," said Tea.

"I don't mind," said Duke.

I laughed and turned away from him.

Jean Claude played a ninja card in attack mode and used his special ability to summon a second monster to the field. When he was done, Mai played a card called Amazon swordswoman. Her swordswoman immediately killed one of the ninjas.

"Still as charming as ever," said Jean Claude, smirking. He played another ninja which allowed him to summon a third ninja.

"I think that Mai's so cool, don't you Joey?" Serenity asked her brother.

I saw Mai listening.

"She's so tough," Serenity continued. "I'd love to be like that."

"Are you serious?" asked Joey.

"Yea!" said Serenity, her eyes full of admiration. "She doesn't let anyone push her around."

"I guess, if you think it's cool to have a really loud mouth, a mean disposition, and to walk around like you're the greatest thing since cheese fries, sure I guess you could say Mai's cool. I wouldn't though," said Joey.

Mai looked pissed.

"Joey, you're a jerk," I said.

"So are you sometimes," he shot back.

"Yea, but unlike you, I'm not totally clueless," I said.

Mai shrugged off Joey's comments and attacked his ninja again. Jean Claude sacrificed another ninja and summoned an even stronger ninja, called Ninja Master Shogun, instead.

"What a surprise, more ninjas," Mai sneered.

His Ninja Master was able to summon two more ninjas, one of which was able to summon yet another ninja.

"Joey, does this mean Mai's in trouble?" asked Serenity, sounding worried.

"Nah, it'll take a lot more than a bunch of second rate ninjas to stop a duelist like Mai. Trust me, I know firsthand how good she is," Joey said.

Mai smiled.

Jean Claude's ninja attacked and destroyed Mai's swordswoman. His other ninjas attacked her life points directly. Then he placed one card face down. Mai summoned a Cyber Harpy and attacked the ninja master, which only set off a trap. Mai's attack was blocked. Mai played a card face down.

"Back to you," she said.

Jean Claude played a magic card. It was a kite that raised his ninja master overhead. He was protected from all monster attacks and magic cards. He was also able to attack Mai's life points directly if he sacrificed a monster first. So he sacrificed a monster and attacked Mai's life points. Her points were lowered to two hundred.

Mai drew another card. She played a magic card that turned on harpy into three. She was able to destroy his three ninja's on the ground. Mai turned and winked at Joey. Jean Claude looked pissed.

Mai placed another card face down. Jean Claude played a monster and was going to sacrifice her, but Mai played a magic card to send his ninja directly to the graveyard. Then Mai destroyed his life points. Since his ninja was floating in the air, it was unable to defend.

Jean Claude's life points went to zero.

We all cheered.

"Good job, Mai! I knew you could do it!" said Joey.

I could have sworn Mai blushed a little.

"I give you two thumbs down," said Mai. "I hope you've learned I'm not a prize to be won."

Jean Claude laughed softly and we looked up. His flying ninja wasn't a hologram, it was a person. The ninja swooped down and threw a net over Mai and grabbed her.

Joey ran after them.

"Put me down now!" Mai was yelling.

"Mai be careful!" Joey called.

Mai struggled and hit the guy in the face with the back of her head. Surprised, he let go of her. Mai fell, but she caught on to a post on one of the buildings.

"Mai!" Joey called. "Hang on, I'm coming!" He ran below her and held out his arms. "Hey, Mai, let go!" he called.

"Are you nuts? No way!" she screamed.

"Come on!" said Joey. "I'll catch you, I swear."

A look of doubt crossed her face, but then she took a deep breath and let go.

Joey caught her and then fell to the ground with the impact.

"Oh, no! Joey, are you alright?" asked Mai.

Jean Claude rushed over to them. "Take my hand, Mai. You're safe now," he said.

Mai smacked his hand away. "Get lost!" she snapped. "You're nothing but a cheap Hollywood phony. The only real action hero around here is Joey," she said, looking at him with admiration in her eyes. She helped him up. "You're the best, Joey," she said.

"Are you gonna be alright, Joey?" asked Serenity, as we rushed up to them.

"Yea, of course," said Joey, wincing a little. "Now let's get to the stadium and do what we came here to do."

"We are way too good at wasting time," said Tea.

"Let's get to the Battle City Stadium!" said Yugi. "And may the best man win!"

"You mean 'woman'," said Mai, smugly, and we started down the street.


	25. High in the Sky

Chapter Twenty-Five

We reached the stadium in no time. When we entered, Kaiba and Mokuba were standing in the center next to two men who worked for Kaiba. Kaiba was looking around the stadium as if he'd heard something, which immediately made me frown.

"Hey!" said Mokuba. "The first three finalists, Yugi, Joey, and Mai." He moved forward and hugged me. "Nice to see the rest of you too."

I kissed Mokuba on the cheek. "Oh, Mokuba Kaiba. How I've missed you," I said.

"This is it?" asked Yugi.

"This place is still under construction," Duke said, looking around.

"We're unfashionably early," said Mai.

"Welcome," said one of the suits. "Present your locator cards." They all showed their cards and the other man handed them their tournament IDs.

"Security is tight, so have those cards with you at all times," said the second man.

"Thanks," said Joey. "Now where's everyone else?"

"So far it's just the three of you and, of course, Mister Kaiba. But we expect the other four finalists shortly," the man explained.

"Not that it matters," I heard Kaiba think. "You'll all lose soon enough." He saw me watching him and asked, tauntingly, "Trying to get inside my head, Olive?"

"I don't have to try, hun," I said.

He was about to respond when we saw someone walking in the stadium. The wind seemed to start blowing.

"Guys, I've got a bad feeling about this," said Yugi.

"You think it's that creep, Marik?" asked Joey.

"It could be," said Yugi. "He must be one of the eight finalists."

"This is the end, Pharaoh," Marik's voice echoed around my mind. "Soon the strongest power in the world will belong to me."

But when the person emerged, it was Namu, not Marik.

Tea, Joey, and I ran forward.

"Blondie!" I exclaimed.

"You're Namu, aren't you?" asked Joey.

"You helped save Bakura's life," said Tea.

"Glad I could help," said Namu. He gave me a quick hug and I was overcome with a strange sense of uneasiness. "Where's Bakura now?" he asked.

"He's resting in the hospital," said Tea.

"Excellent," said Namu. "I'll do anything to help someone in need."

"I don't know what it is, but there's something I don't trust about this guy," I heard Joey think. It was so unexpected, that I had to keep myself from looking at him. "With all of these rare hunters running around, I don't believe what anyone says."

"How'd you end up getting away?" I asked him.

"Turns out, those thugs only wanted you. Once you disappeared, which was weird, they let me go. I tried to find you, but I didn't see you anywhere," Namu explained. He smiled at Joey. "So, Joey," he said. "It looks like we both made it to the Battle City Finals. I never thought I'd get this far, but since the day I met you two, I've been winning every duel."

"You'd better beware!" an angry voice snarled in my head.

Shocked, I took a step back. Tea and Joey's eyes seemed to flash strangely for a second. I looked at Namu, but he looked as pleasant as ever.

Yugi walked up to us and Tea, shaking her head, said, "Yugi, meet our friend Namu. Olive met him last summer in Egypt."

"Yea, we worked together," I said, still watching him carefully.

"He's the one who saved Bakura's life," Tea continued. "And get this, he's also one of Battle City Finalist, isn't that right, Joey?"

"Yea, sure," said Joey.

Watching Namu's eyes when he saw Yugi made the uneasy feeling grow inside me.

"I've heard about you, Yugi," said Namu, his voice slightly darker, although I didn't think anyone would notice unless they were looking for it. Or maybe I was just paranoid. Namu held out his hand to shake Yugi's. "It's an honor to meet you."

Yugi shook his hand. "Thanks a lot for helping out Bakura," said Yugi. "Any friend of Joey, Tea, and Olive's is a buddy of mine."

Namu smiled. "I'm so happy to be surrounded by such a welcoming crowd," said Namu. "I remember seeing Olive's pictures of most of you in the summer. I just hope everyone I meet tonight is as friendly as you people."

"Maybe he's not so bad after all. What do I know?" I heard Joey think.

I glanced at him, but my attention was immediately drawn to the tunnel behind us where another person was arriving. I let out a cry of shock and ran forward. I threw my arms around his neck, furiously blinking back tears. He hugged me back, burying his face in my hair.

"Are you okay?" I whispered, stepping back.

"Olive," he murmured, looking down at me, his hand still on my waist. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"That's Bakura," I heard Yugi say, as the others hurried forward.

"What are you doing here?" asked Joey. "You should get back to the hospital!"

"Bakura, you should be resting," said Tea.

"Grandpa said that you were in pretty bad condition," said Yugi. "They let you out?"

Bakura pulled me back into his arms. "I'm fine, guys," he said, smiling.

"Look, Bakura, I don't know how you found us here, but you'd better get back to that hospital," said Tristan.

"What are you doing wearing a duel disk?" asked Yugi, as soon as he noticed.

I took a step back, away from him, to look. I hadn't noticed either. "You've been dueling?" I asked.

"How else could I win six locator cards and enter the finals?" asked Bakura. He held up his locator cards.

Everyone gasped, shocked.

"I didn't even know you were playing, Kura. Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"Perfect," I heard Marik's voice and it sounded so close, that I looked around. "He's holding up his end of the bargain."

"Bakura..." I said, quietly, my eyes skimming over Namu.

"No way, Bakura could barely walk. How'd he win six locator cards?" Yugi thought suspiciously.

"Hold up, when did you even join the tournament?" asked Joey.

"Join?" asked Tristan. "How'd you make it all the way to the finals? This is freaking me out."

But instead of answering, Bakura looked across the arena and he said, "Hey look, it's the seventh finalist."

We all turned and Bakura stepped forward and put his arms around me again.

"This guy looks familiar," I heard Joey say.

"He must hold the third Egyptian God Card," I heard Kaiba think.

"I missed you," Bakura whispered in my ear.

"I missed you too," I said, smiling despite everything. "I'm glad that you're okay."

"I can take care of myself, sweetheart, you don't have to worry about me," said Bakura. "And now that I'm feeling better and we're both finally in the same place, maybe we can pick up where we left off with that kiss. What do you think?"

I glanced up at him and tried to hide my smile. "I'll have to check my schedule," I teased.

"Oh, I have a feeling you'll make room for me," said Bakura.

"State your name right now," Kaiba demanded as the man approached us.

"I am Marik," he said. He was tall and dark skinned, with gold-colored eyes. His lips were turned down in what looked like a permanent frown and the left side of his face was covered in tattoos. He was dressed in a long black robe with a hood over his head.

"I'll kick your brainwashing butt!" Joey yelled.

"You are no match for me, fool," said the man, turning his gaze on Joey.

Something was weird. I frowned, watching him.

"The only reason I'm not tossing you out by your cape right now is so that I can take you down in the finals," said Joey.

"I could disqualify you for hacking yourself into my tournament right now," said Kaiba. "But you have something I want and before the finals are over, your Egyptian God Card will be mine."

"Doesn't look like you have too many friends around here, tattoo face," said Mokuba.

A few moments passed and then a large blimp landed. The Battle City Finals were going to be played in the sky. Everyone was told to climb aboard. The two men working for Kaiba tried to stop Duke, Serenity, Tristan, Tea, and me from boarding, but Kaiba told them he didn't care. I hurried up after Bakura. Kaiba and Mokuba boarded behind us.

A wave of nausea hit me, and Ishizu's voice flooded my mind. "I'm here to save you, my brother. The final confrontation begins and the fate of the world hangs in the balance."

I paused for a moment, leaning against the wall to shake the nausea. Duke stopped to help me and then escorted me to the sky deck. There was a clear wall where we could see the city lights below us. Kaiba was talking to Yugi. Duke and I walked over to the window and looked down at the city.

"Thanks, Devlin," I said, quietly.

"Anything for a pretty girl," said Duke, smiling. "Besides, I need to earn more brownie points than that Bakura kid, huh?"

I blushed and didn't answer.

The finalists were told to go to their rooms. Serenity followed Joey, but Duke, Tristan, Tea, and I were left awkwardly on the sky deck. A few minutes later, Mokuba showed up.

"Hey, Olive," he said. "We're trying to find some rooms right now, so just hang out for a while until I tell you otherwise."

"Okay, little Kaiba," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to call me that, Olive," he said.

I laughed. "I know." I kissed his cheek and we went down the hall to Yugi's room.

But we didn't stay long. Yugi almost immediately asked us to leave. He said he needed some time alone to prepare.

"Let's go check out Joey's room," Tristan suggested. "I bet it's huge."

The door was open, so we walked in.

"Nah, I think Yugi's room is bigger," said Tea.

Duke made his way over to the fridge. It was filled with drinks and snacks.

"What's the matter? You guys never heard of a doorbell or knocking?" Joey demanded, sounding irritated.

"It's good to see you too, buddy," I said, rolling my eyes and following Duke over the fridge. I reached for a bottle of coconut flavored rum, but Duke grabbed it first.

"Allow me," he said, going over to the cupboards to look for cups.

"You know," I said. "Kaiba knows I like that stuff. I wonder if he stocked up on it just for me."

Duke grinned. "That must be it," he said. "There's tequila in there too."

I shook my head. "No thanks," I said. "Tequila makes me lose my inhibitions and not think straight."

Duke laughed. "So maybe Kaiba stocked up on tequila just for you too," he joked.

"Relax," Tristan told Joey. "We need a place to crash while they try to find some rooms for us." He began to rummage through the fridge while Tea sat down and flipped through the room service menu.

"Room service on Joey!" she cheered.

"Get out of my room, guys!" Joey yelled.

"Come on, Joey," said Serenity. "Be a good sport. They're hungry. And they're lots of fun too."

"But I can't focus," said Joey. "How am I supposed to prepare for duels will all this going on?"

"Serenity..." I began, holding out a cup to her.

"You are not to take any drinks from Olive," Joey cut me off.

"Fine," I said, rolling my eyes and taking a big gulp.

"You could say thanks," Duke said.

"I could," I agreed.

He gave me a look and walked over to Serenity, pushing Tristan out of the way. "Hey, Serenity," he said, with a pointed look at me. "Wanna check out the view with me?" He took her hand and led her over to the window.

"That was my line," I heard Tristan grumbled, sinking into a chair.

"Don't worry, man," I said, sitting on his lap. "Duke's just trying to make me jealous. It bugged him how close Bakura and I are."

We watched them look out the window and talk quietly.

Joey groaned and sat next to us.

"Hey, sorry we screwed up your family time," said Tristan.

"You wouldn't have to be sorry if you would leave," Joey grumbled. "Go bother Yugi."

"He wanted some peace and quiet before the finals started, Joey," I said.

"I'm dueling too, you know," Joey growled.

"Oh, that's right," I said.

"Jerks," said Joey. Then he looked at Tristan. "By the way, thank you. For taking care of my sister."

Tristan looked flushed. "Just helping out a buddy," he said. He scooted me off his lap and mumbled something about going to get some drinks.

"It means a lot," Joey told him.

Tristan smiled. "Any time. I mean it," he said.

"Someone has a crush on Serenity," I said, in a sing-song voice.

"Apparently a lot of people do," said Joey, looking annoyed. He was watching Serenity and Duke.

"Duke's trying to make me jealous," I said. "I think I'm the first girl he's met who doesn't fall all over him, and when I ran to see Bakura, he got annoyed."

"Maybe he's sick of chasing after you," Joey suggested.

I shrugged. "I doubt it," I said. Then I laughed. "Have a drink!" I said. "I'll mix you one or Tristan can get you a beer."

"I don't drink," said Joey.

I gave him a look. "I've had beers with you, Joseph Wheeler," I said. "Don't lie to me."

"Fine, I don't want to drink the night before the tournament," said Joey.

"A couple beers will just relax you," I said. "It'll do you some good. Trust me. You don't want to think too hard. They always say that the night before the big competition, you should relax or you'll psych yourself out."

As everyone ate and talked and I drank, I felt myself growing more and more relaxed. Before long, I was laying on the couch, my head feeling fuzzy. I felt dizzy every time I sat up. It was then, in my relaxed state, that I realized something wasn't right.

"Marik's voice," I whispered, sitting up too fast and falling off the couch.

"Olive, are you okay?" asked Tea.

"It wasn't the same voice I heard in my mind," I said.


	26. The Finals Begin

Chapter Twenty-Six

"I've gotta tell Yugi," I mumbled, hoping that I wasn't slurring my words. I tried to stand up, but I only slipped and fell back down again.

"What are you talking about, Olive?" asked Tea.

"Yugi," I said. "I have to tell Yugi."

"What you need to do is go to sleep," Tea said.

"Are you scolding me?" I asked.

She reached for my cup, but I pulled it away from her, sloshing my drink, half rum, half orange juice, all over my shirt. I cussed. I staggered to my feet and pulled my shirt off so that I was only wearing a dark purple bra with my skin tight jeans and my black boots. I took a few steps towards the door, swayed, and fell against Tristan. "I can't walk in shoes!" I said.

"Olive, calm down," said Tristan, leading me back to the couch.

I collapsed. "I just...you guys don't understand. Marik isn't Marik," I said.

"She's even crazier when she's drunk," said Joey.

"I heard that, Wheeler. And I'm not that drunk. Alcohol just makes my legs not work," I said. I propped myself up with my elbows and looked at Duke. Serenity was standing next to him with a red cup in her hand. I burst into hysterical giggles. "Alcohol is yummy, huh Serenity? I think I found a new drinking buddy!" I added, sing-song.

"I'm not drinking, Olive," said Serenity. "This is coke."

"Oh," I said, still laughing. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I laid back and closed my eyes. "I need to tell Yugi," I said. "I just...realized. I need to get a shirt from someone. Where's Kura's room?" I asked.

"Are you going to shut up about it?" asked Tristan.

I gave him a look. "Tristan, I don't even shut up when I'm sober. Do you _really_ need to ask me that question?" I asked.

With a sigh, Tristan helped me to my feet. He made me take a drink of water. As we were walking out of the room, I turned back and waved, "Buh-bye Devlin," I said, blowing him a kiss. "I'll see _you_ later on."

Once we were at the door, I said, "I'm fine, Tristan. I'll be okay, so you can go back."

"Alright, if you're sure," said Tristan.

"You're a good guy, Tristan, a good guy," I said. "Serenity would be lucky to have you."

He blushed and mumbled something before walking off.

I grinned and shook my head. I pushed on the door. It was slightly ajar so I walked in. The room was mostly dark, but I could see a figure sitting on the bed. I walked over to him and straddled his waist. I kissed him hard and then pushed him down on the bed. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him.

"Hey, Kura," I murmured. "Gods, you're strong."

"And you're drunk," Bakura commented.

I shrugged. "Only a little," I said. "A water bottle and a cracker or two and I'll be fine."

"I'll trust you," he said.

"Your voice is dark," I whispered, laying my head on his chest.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his fingers in my hair.

"Are you Bakura or are you the Thief King?" I asked.

"Does it matter?" he asked me, with a dark chuckle. "You'd want me either way."

My stomach flipped, but in a good way. I scooted closer to his face until we were seeing eye-to-eye. In the darkness, I couldn't tell which Bakura I was really talking to. But he was right. I didn't care. He laid me gently down on the bed and leaned over me.

"You're mine, Olive," he whispered.

"I don't _belong_ to anyone," I said, but I was smiling.

He kissed my scar, then he kissed my neck. I moaned and I could feel him smile.

He lifted his head and leaned right down next to my ear. "Say it, Olive," he whispered. "Tell me you're mine."

"Why?" I purred. "Is it a hit to your ego?" I taunted.

He laughed and kissed me. "Say it," he said.

"You know I'm yours, Kura," I whispered.

He kissed me again. He slipped his thumbs inside the edge of jeans, but at that moment, a screen turned on and blared to life. I jumped in surprise.

"Attention duelists! The Battle City Finals are about to begin. Mister Kaiba requests the presence of all Battle City Finalists in the main hall," said the man on the screen.

I sighed, frustrated.

Bakura laughed and stood up. He flipped on the lights and I blinked in surprise. I couldn't see any darkness in his eyes.

"You taste like liquor," he told me, tossing me one of his shirts.

"Thanks," I said. "You got any water?"

He tossed me a water bottle and gathered some clean clothes together. He walked towards the bathroom.

"You can change out here," I said, grinning. "I don't mind."

He laughed and rolled his eyes, but went into the bathroom anyway.

When he emerged, he was pulling his shirt over his head and I caught of glimpse of his pale, defined stomach. It made me want to kill Kaiba for starting the finals tonight and interrupting Bakura and me.

"You're so strong," I told him, standing up, slightly more steady on my feet, and pulling his shirt over my head.

"You sound surprised," said Bakura, hooking his duel disk onto his arm.

"You just don't look as strong as you are," I said. He grabbed me firmly around the waist and pulled me to him. "It's quite sexy."

He grinned down at me and kissed me softly on the lips. "I hate to stop this, but we'd better get going," he said.

I stuck out my lower lip, pouting.

"Oh, don't do that," said Bakura, tickling my sides. I laughed and tried to squirm away from him, but he pulled me closer.

"Fine," I said, finally. We walked to the main hall. "When the games call, everyone I've met in this crazy country goes running."

Once there, Bakura ate, quietly, and I grew slightly more sober, sipping on water and nibbling on rolls.

"Did you find the rum, Olive?" asked Kaiba, smirking at me.

I smiled. "I knew you left it there especially for me," I said. "You're so thoughtful."

A few minutes later, Mai entered. She gave me a quick hug and two pain killers. Then she pulled me away from Bakura. She chatted to me while she filled a plate with food. A few minutes later, Yami entered. I excused myself from Mai's side and walked over to Yami.

"I heard you were drinking," said Yami, trying not to smile.

"I'm fine," I said.

"Good," said Yami, "because I need you, Olive. Ishizu told us that I would need you by my side to guide me. I want you there with me."

I nodded. "Of course, Yami," I said. "I've been here for you through every duel so far. You can count on me."

"Thank you, Olive," said Yami, sounding appreciative.

The man who was claiming to be Marik entered and leaned against the wall in silence.

It wasn't long after that Joey, Serenity, Tea, Tristan, and Duke entered with Namu.

Joey served himself a plate of food. He gave the man who said he was Marik a dark look and barely noticed when he ran into Bakura.

"Sorry," said Joey. "My bad."

"It's quite alright. Everyone seems on edge," said Bakura, smiling.

"Yea, pre-final jitters," said Joey. "By the way, how'd you qualify so fast?"

"Well, I actually won all six locator cards at once," said Bakura.

"No way!" said Joey. "You won six cards in one duel?"

"It was simple," said Bakura. "I battled Bones and his gang of zombie duelists in the cemetery. When I defeated them using some ghosts of my own, I got them to give up all their locator cards."

"But how?" asked Joey.

"Well, let's just say I didn't give those fellows much choice," said Bakura, smiling.

From where I was standing, watching and listening to the conversation. Bakura looked perfectly normal. But half of me was screaming that he was evil and possessed, that something about this situation just wasn't right. The darker part of me that I'd never noticed before my most recent dream about the past, was intrigued. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. I could feel desire building up inside of me. My skin felt feverish. Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

"You forced them?" asked Joey.

"Sort of," said Bakura, as if it were no big deal.

"That's creepy," I heard Joey think.

"See you later," he told Bakura. He nodded in my direction. "Good to see your girl made it here okay."

Bakura laughed a little, but he didn't blush. "Oh, Olive and I are just friends," he said.

"Yea, yea," said Joey. "When the only thing a half-dressed drunk girl wants is to be escorted to your room, we know you're not just friends anymore. Well, actually, she was going on and on about that Marik guy too. Something about needing to tell Yugi something about him. So maybe you're right. Maybe she's not that into you," he joked.

"Good luck in your first duel," said Bakura cheerfully.

Joey walked over to the table nearest us.

"You look like you just saw a zombie, Joey," said Tea.

"Nah, it's just the shrimp. I think it's been sitting out too long," said Joey.

"Just don't throw up on me," said Serenity, laughing a little.

"Hey, Kaiba, what's the hold up?" asked Joey. "When are we gonna find out who we duel?"

"You're a quite a rush just to lose, Wheeler," said Kaiba. He pushed a button and spoke into the mic on the inside of his shirt collar. Then he snapped his fingers and said, "Let's go."

The lights dimmed.

On a little platform at the front of the room, a machine rose. "Finalist and guests, may I have your attention please," said one of the men in the suits. "Now, the first two duelists for round one will be chosen by lottery."

"What's the jackpot?" Mai murmured.

"It is to guarantee that each pair of opponents will be selected completely at random. You've all been assigned a number from one through eight. The selector will now choose the first two numbers. The second numbers will not be drawn until a winner is declared in the first duel. Thus, you will not know your opponent's identity until just before you duel," the man explained.

"I'm fighting the urge to yell out bingo," said Tristan.

"Go ahead, I'll laugh," said Duke.

"All eight balls are of equal size and weight. The selector produces results that are one hundred percent random. Does everyone remember his or her number?" he asked. Everyone nodded. He started the machine and the balls began to blow around the plastic bubble they were in. The first ball was selected. "Number six, Bakura," the man announced.

"I duel first?" asked Bakura. He laughed nervously.

"You sure you're alright, man?" asked Tristan.

"Yea, Bakura, you should really be in bed resting. You just got out of the hospital, remember?" Tea said.

"You shouldn't even be walking, let alone dueling," said Tristan.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm fine," said Bakura. "Being the first duelist chosen just took me by surprise, that's all."

The second duelist was chosen. "Number three, Yugi Muto," the man announced. "The first duel of the Battle City Finals will begin immediately in the stratus-dueling arena."

"I guess I'm battling Yugi," said Bakura, cheerfully. "This should be fun." He shot a look at me and I saw something dark in his eyes. I thought about saying something, but then realized it wouldn't make a difference.

"I don't trust him," Yami thought.

"Interesting," thought Kaiba. My head was pounding. Hearing thoughts when I didn't have alcohol in my system was bad enough. "I wonder how Bakura will fare against Yugi's Egyptian God Card."

"Glad it's Yugi and not me," said Joey.

"When the pharaoh loses, he'll hand his Egyptian God Card to the duelist they think is Bakura. Soon after, it will be mine," I heard Marik think. I turned, casually, to glance over my shoulder. Namu was standing a few feet behind me. Behind him, stood the man in the black robes, leaning against the wall. Namu smiled at me, but I looked away as if I hadn't noticed. While Yami and Bakura went on one elevator, we were told to take the central elevator to the top level if we wanted to observe. We all piled inside.

"Have fun with your boyfriend?" Duke asked me.

I laughed. "Bakura may be fun, but there's no one quite like you, Devlin," I teased.

"How many guys do you hit on?" Namu asked me, sounding annoyed.

I shrugged. "Don't hate just because I know how to 'love' like a man," I said, making air quotes around the word 'love'. "If I had a penis, no one would even think to ask me that question, you know."

"Good for you, babe," said Mai.

"I must win this," I heard Yami's whisper in my mind.

"Dueling up here is insane!" Joey declared, once we reached the upper deck.

"And freezing," Serenity added, shivering. Tristan gallantly draped his jacket around her shoulders.

"I'll make this speech quick so we can begin this duel," Kaiba announced. "Kaiba Craft three is now cruising at an altitude of four thousand feet. The strong winds and cold air will test your strength and stamina. If you can't take it, you don't belong here."

"I dig this little twist," said Tristan.

"I have to admit it, Kaiba does know how to throw a tournament," said Duke.

"Are you prepared to lose it all?" Bakura asked. His face was turned downward slightly so that the shadows hid his eyes.

"I won't lose," said Yami. "Before we begin this duel, why don't you tell me who you really are? Stop this charade!"

Bakura chuckled.

"Have it your way then," said Yami. "But I think I know who you are." There was a glowing light from Bakura's chest that only Yami and I seemed to see, although I noticed Namu seemed to be watching too. The millennium ring appeared around his neck. "It is you!" said Yami. "The spirit of the millennium ring."

"Hey, look at Bakura," said Tea.

"Aw, man, he's wearing that millennium ring again," said Joey.

"That can't be," said Tristan, sounding shocked. "I got rid of it at Duelist Kingdom. I threw it into the deepest part of the woods, miles from anywhere. I don't know how Bakura got it back, but I know it's not a good thing."

"It found its way back, Tristan," I said, quietly. "Millennium items do that. I suspected that he had it for a while now." My voice sounded dark, even to me, but I couldn't tell what other emotions were laced with it.

"So why all the fuss?" asked Namu. "What's around Bakura's neck?"

We all turned to him.

"Namu..." Tea began. She paused. "It's kind of hard to explain, but that's not really Bakura."

"Okay, you lost me," said Mai.

"You see, Yugi and Bakura both have these really old objects that have magic powers," said Joey. Yugi's item is good, but Bakura's item is bad."

"An evil spirit lives inside it," said Tea.

"So you're telling me there's an evil spirit up there dueling Yugi?" asked Namu, sounding skeptical, but slightly curious. "That's hard to believe."

"I didn't believe it at first either," said Tea. "But it's true, and Olive can read minds..."

I glared at her. "Really? Really, Tea? Is that really a necessary detail?"

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"No big. Why not announce it to the world?" I asked.

"I hope he doesn't drag Yugi to the Shadow Realm again," said Joey, quietly. "That's not a place you want to be."

"I'll follow them in there if he does," I heard myself whisper.

"You fools! You have no idea that the evil spirit up there is working for me!" I heard Marik think. "You are all so gullible."

"We might not be quite so gullible as you think," I said, quietly, watching Namu for a reaction. He didn't seem to notice.

"Now that these introductions are over and done with, why don't we begin this duel?" asked the spirit of the millennium ring.


	27. A Duel with the Devil

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Why have you entered the Battle City finals?" Yami asked. "What is it you hope to gain? Is it about the millennium items."

"Perhaps," said Bakura. He smiled.

"How amusing," he thought. "He knows I desire the seven millennium items, but he has no idea how I intend to obtain them. First, I'll win his Egyptian God Card and deliver it to Marik in exchange for the millennium rod. Then, seizing Yugi's millennium puzzle will be a simple task." He laughed. "With the power of the high priestess already turning to my side, there is really nothing that can stand in my way."

"Marik must be a special kind of stupid," I remarked, nonchalantly.

Everyone turned to look at me, but Namu turned the fastest. He met my eyes with a glint of anger in his own. The two of us were standing in the back of the group.

"Oh yea? Why?" Joey asked.

I nodded at Bakura. "Even I know better than to make a deal with the devil," I said, quietly, watching Namu through my peripheral vision. I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I was looking at Namu again. "Don't you think that seems sort of stupid, blondie?" I asked.

With a smile, he said, "I guess I can see how that's kind of...stupid."

"You'll pay for talking to me that way," he thought. "You cocky little bitch..."

I smiled, slowly.

He looked confused for a moment and then realization dawned in his eyes. He hadn't tried to cover up his thoughts. Even if he had been trying, my energy was so focused on him, I was surprised he couldn't see it. I wasn't sure he'd be able to hide his thoughts from me if I was trying hard enough. I was a lot more powerful than I'd originally realized and he knew that I knew it. He knew at that moment that I'd gotten the confirmation I needed.

After a moment of looking like he didn't know what to say, he said, "Be careful, kid. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

I tilted my head and widened my eyes, innocently. "Whatever do you mean?" I asked.

"That Marik guy looked really scary," said 'Namu', watching me carefully. "He was able to kidnap all of us pretty easily. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy whose toes you'd want to step on."

I shrugged and looked away. "Oh, he doesn't seem so tough to me," I said.

I could feel the wave of anger hit me, but I ignored it.

"Yugi, perhaps there's something else that I'm planning to take away from you besides your millennium puzzle," said Bakura.

"What are you talking about?" asked Yami.

Bakura laughed a little. His voice was so dark. It sent chills through my body. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you? There is so much about this tournament that you are unaware of," said Bakura. "There are so many secrets kept from you. For instance, how do you know that I am working alone? And are you sure that one of the people you believe to be your friend isn't your greatest enemy?"

"Maybe I won't have to talk to Yugi after all," I joked, laughing softly.

"I don't believe you," said Yami.

"Then again, maybe I will," I corrected myself.

"Lies are a part of your game," Yami continued. "But they won't help you win this duel."

"Listen to me, you fool! You're giving him too much information," I heard Marik think and Bakura turned his head ever so slightly towards Namu, who I was now certain was Marik, and me. "If you want the items, you're going to play this by my rules. Unless of course you want me to take over your mind and duel him myself."

"If you could have defeated him on your own, you would have done it by now, Marik. I'll take my chances," Bakura thought back at him.

"I wish I could do that," I thought. My heart almost stopped when both of them looked at me.

A smile slowly crept onto Marik's face.

But before he could say anything, the battle began.

"Come on, Yugi!" Tea cheered.

"Kick this spirit's ass, Yugi!" said Tristan.

"Let's see if Yugi has what it takes to use his Egyptian God Card," Kaiba thought.

"Please triumph, my pharaoh," I heard Ishizu think.

"Just know, whatever it is you desire, you will fail," Yami declared.

"Not quite. It is you who shall lose everything you have," said Bakura. "This will be your final duel." Bakura played a weak card, called the portrait's secret, in attack mode.

"I don't get it. That card's no challenge at all," said Mai.

"Dismantle that possessed picture frame," said Joey.

"Is that really all you've got?" Yami asked. He summoned a monster called gazelle, the king of mythical beasts and attacked, destroying Bakura's monster. Then Yami played a card face down. "Try again," he said, mockingly.

Bakura played another card in attack mode. The card was weaker than Yami's.

"Your ghost is no match for my gazelle," said Yami.

"Come on, Yugi, take my bate," I heard Bakura think.

"It's time to destroy your ghost," said Yami, drawing another card.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Bakura asked.

"Nothing," said Yami. He played another monster card and destroyed the ghost monster. Yami's second monster directly attacked Bakura's life points.

"Way to go, Yugi!" Joey cheered.

"Yugi's wiped out half his life points and the duel just started," said Tea, sounding confused.

"What's he doing?" Marik thought furiously. "I want that Egyptian God Card"

"Disappointment is a bitch, huh?" I whispered to him.

Marik glared at me, both surprise, anger, and respect in his eyes. "I knew there was a reason I took a liking to you," he said.

"Well, Yugi, perhaps I've made things too easy for you," said Bakura. He drew a card and summoned a monster called the headless knight in attack mode.

"I'm afraid I don't see your monster," said Yami.

"That's because he's a spirit," said Bakura. "He hides in the shadows until the time is right."

"This spirit may be stronger than your last two monsters, but it's still weaker than mine," Yami pointed out.

"Then why don't you attack it?" asked Bakura, with a smile.

Yugi drew a card and then attacked. Bakura's monster was destroyed. Yugi used his second monster to attack Bakura directly. His life points were dwindling - they were almost gone. Even though I knew that Yami needed to win, I couldn't help but worry for Bakura.

"Something strange is going on in this duel," said Tea.

"Yea, this seems too easy," said Mai.

"Or else Yugi's fighting the world's worst duelist," said Tristan.

"Hey," I said. "Bakura can duel."

"Care to explain, then?" asked Tristan.

I frowned and shook my head. "I don' t know what's going on," I said.

"Well, either way, Yugi's gonna win this thing in his next turn," said Mai.

"Bakura could still turn it around, I think," I said.

"Yea, right," Duke laughed.

I gave him a look.

"What? It's not my fault your boyfriend is a loser," Duke said. He shrugged. "When you want to party with someone who can win a game, you know where to find me."

I rolled my eyes.

"Time to make your final move," Yami said to Bakura.

Bakura began to laugh. The millennium ring lit up. "All right then, it's time. Now your destruction begins. It's over," said Bakura.

"Over?" asked Joey. "Yea, maybe for him."

"It's a bluff," said Mai. "It has to be. He's got no monsters left and he's already down to less than five hundred life points."

"There'd be no point in bluffing now," I pointed out.

"I hold a card in my hand with dark powers beyond your wildest imagination," said Bakura. "But first, before I could play this all-powerful card, I needed a bit of assistance. Thanks for helping me destroy you. Three of my monsters needed to be destroyed before I could bring forth my dark destructor and you made that possible. Now I summon the beast that will cause your demise. Dark necrofear." Bakura played a monster.

"I knew you were planning something," said Yami.

"It doesn't matter. You still fell into my trap and now you're about to pay the ultimate price," said Bakura. "You're finished, Yugi."

"What is it?" asked Tristan. "That monster's creeping me out."

"Me too, Tristan, and if he was willing to lose all those life points to bring it out, it must be powerful."

"Dark necrofear is one of the most destructive cards in my deck. You'll never stop it," said Bakura. "Stare into the face of defeat. You see, not only is my monster strong, possessing more attack points than either of your monsters, but it also possesses a dark magic hidden within, waiting to activate and destroy you."

"Your monster may be powerful, but it's not unbeatable," said Yami.

But Bakura didn't attack. Instead, he placed two cards face down and ended his turn. Yami frowned. He drew a card. Yami sacrificed a card to summon the dark magician girl. It was weaker than Bakura's monster, but Yami activated his face down card. It was a magic card called the magic formula card. It increased the dark magician girl's attack power by five hundred points, making her stronger than Bakura's dark necrofear.

"Put that big creep six feet under!" Joey cheered.

Yami attacked.

Bakura wasn't fazed. "Thanks," he said, with a slight laugh. "Once again, you've done exactly what I wanted, Yugi. Don't you realize that I've manipulated every move you've made so far? Now I can play this..." he played a magic card called dark sanctuary.

The entire playing field was engulfed in a dark, almost solid look red, black, and purple mist. It was covered in eyes and mouths that were filled with mean, sharp little teeth. Joey pulled Serenity closer, protectively. Nervously everyone moved closer together.

I felt someone's fingertips brush my arm, along my eye-shaped scar. I turned and was face to face with Marik.

"Clever little girl," he thought, his eyes full of intensity. It was bizarre to think I'd spent so much of my summer with the same person, madly in love with those same violet eyes.

"Don't..." I began.

He put a finger to my lips. "Shh," he said.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, concentrating. "Don't test me, Marik," I thought.

He smiled and I knew he'd heard me.

"Very good," he whispered out loud.

But then, Duke pulled me closer to him.

"Don't be scared," he told me.

I laughed. "Oh, you know me. I was terrified," I said, sarcastically. "Thanks for the concern and for protecting me. I'm _just_ the kind of girl who needs a big strong man around, huh?"

He gave me a look. "Just being nice," he said.

"Just making sure that Bakura is plenty jealous if he happens to look over," I corrected.

"You have no idea what you've just helped me unleash," said Bakura. "Prepare to experience an evil like you've never seen before."


	28. Duel: Yugi vs Bakura

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"You have no monsters left and you're down to your last one hundred and fifty life points," Yami said.

"That's true," said Bakura. He motioned to a white, wispy ghost with an evil looking face that was floating around. "However, the evil ghost of dark sanctuary is now protecting me, which will change my fortune dramatically."

"Your ghosts don't frighten me," said Yami. "Without a single monster to defend your life points, I will win this duel and remove you from the Battle City Finals in one attack."  
"You're more foolish than I thought. Dark sanctuary provides me power beyond your understanding," said Bakura. "But if you're so confident, go ahead and attack me."

Yami did.

When his monster attacked, his evil ghost stopped the attack. It went straight through Yami's monster and slammed against Yami instead.

"What happened?" asked Yami, sounding confused.

"You're monster is now possessed by the evil ghost of my dark sanctuary," said Bakura.

"It's possessed?" asked Yami.

"Yes. That was how I was able to turn your monster's attack against you," said Bakura.

"And are all of my monsters possessed?" asked Yami.

"You'll just have to find out," said Bakura. "That is, if you have the nerve to try and attack me again. And of course, possession is only one of my cards powers. You'll figure all of that out soon enough. In the meantime, we shall deal with the situation at hand. Since you made the mistake of attacking me with a monster that was possessed, half of your monster's attack points come out of your life points and, just so they don't go to waste, the life points you lost will be added to mine." It was Bakura's turn now. He drew a card and then played another card called destiny board. A Ouija board appeared, floating in the air and I shuddered and looked away.

From the time I was little, my mom had told me not to go near Ouija boards, not to even touch them. She said they were capable of opening a door that would let demons and evil enter our world. My mom was not one for rules, but this was something she had always stressed. I remember seeing one in a gift shop once and my mom wouldn't even walk past it.

"That's weird," said Joey. "All that fuss for a board game?"

Duke took advantage of my moment of fear and wrapped his arms around me. "I saw one of those things once at a haunted funhouse," he said.

"My mom sort of has some superstitions about those things," I whispered, still not looking at the board.

I heard Marik's laugh echo through my head. "Scared?" his thoughts whispered to me. "You should be, priestess. The only thing one of those will do is open a door you sealed shut. I would imagine there are quite a few angry spirits in the shadow realm that would love to get revenge on you."

"You mean there's going to be more ghosts?" asked Joey, going pale.

"Hold on, Joey," said Serenity. "Isn't this all just a game?"

"Well guys, let's hope so," said Tea.

"There are no games where magic this dark is involved," I said.

"You should know," Marik thought at me. "You helped tame and create it."

"What does that even mean?" I thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bakura looked at me and smirked. "I should have pulled out this card ages ago, eh, Olive?" he thought. "I didn't realize you were so easily frightened."

"What does this card do?" asked Yami.

"It's simple. My destiny board gives me the ability to communicate with lost souls of the shadow realm," said Bakura. "Using the letters on this board, they shall spell out a message for you. The first letter of your message is 'F''." A flaming letter 'F' appeared in mid-air.

"What is the destiny board going to spell out?" asked Yami.

"You'll see," said Bakura. "Each turn the destiny board will spell out one letter. Then, after five turns pass and all five letters are revealed, this duel will end and you'll lose absolutely everything, Yugi." He laughed.

"I'll defeat you well before the message is spelled out in four turns," said Yami. "After all, it's my destiny to win."

"Come on, Yugi!" Tea cheered, but she looked worried. Her voice lacked her usual peppiness. These finals were going to be hard on her.

"Show this guy who's boss," said Joey.

"This looks bad," I heard Mokuba comment from where he and Kaiba were watching on the other side of the stadium.

"Before long, Yugi and the Pharaoh will be finished for good," I heard Marik think. I wasn't sure if he meant for me to hear him or not.

"With my evil ghost possessing your monsters and my destiny board on the playing field, you're done. Only four more turns and victory is mine," said Bakura. He played a magic card called the dark door and explained that with that magic card on the field, Yugi would only be able to attack once per turn. "Your chances of defeating me have just decreased," said Bakura. Then he played a monster called earthbound spirit, assuring Yugi that it wouldn't be around for long. Soon, he would sacrifice it. He ended his turn.

Yami drew a card and surveyed his cards thoughtfully.

"Are you going to attack? You appear to be having trouble making up your mind, Yugi," said Bakura.

Yami summoned kuriboh and then attacked with his dark magician girl. But it turned out, Bakura could possess a new monster with each turn. He possessed the dark magician girl and Yami was attacked by the evil ghost. Bakura gained more life points and his destiny board began to move. I shuddered watching the selector move eerily across the board. It selected another letter. 'I'.

The duel continued. I was torn between Bakura and Yami. Although I knew, without a doubt, that Yami had to win and that I had given him my full support, I still felt drawn towards Bakura. Even seeing the spirit of the millennium ring, a spirit that would forever haunt my nightmares, in complete control, I was still so drawn to Bakura.

"He better think of something quick," said Duke.

"If Yugi could just figure out which one of his monsters is possessed by dark sanctuary, then he could launch an attack," said Mai. "I still think he has a chance to win this duel, but he can't keep losing life points."

"Maybe he's over thinking all this and the key is not to think at all, kind of like Tristan does," said Duke, joking.

Tristan held up a fist, but Duke used me as a shield so that Tristan wouldn't hit him.

"Joey?" asked Serenity, quietly. "Yugi's gonna win, right?"

"Yea," said Joey, optimistically. "Yugi will pull through, but it sure won't be easy."

On Yami's next turn, he drew a card. Bakura's ghost possessed one of Yami's monsters. Yami summoned a monster in defense mode and then looked at his monsters, the dark magician girl and the magnet warrior. He chose to attack with the magnet warrior. Bakura sprang a trap card that stopped the magnet warrior and forced the dark magician girl to attack. Yami lost even more life points.

"Yugi's running out of life points pretty fast," said Duke.

"Are you saying Yugi's going to lose?" asked Serenity, worried.

"Hey!" Tristan said. He pushed me aside and grabbed Duke by the front of his shirt. "When one of our buddies is dueling, we support them all the way. So think positive, or you're going overboard."

"Go Yugi!" Duke cheered.

"Who's the cheerleader now?" I asked him, with a wink, remembering the cheerleaders he'd had during his dungeon dice game against Yugi.

"Joey, I know Yugi's going to pull through, just like you always do," said Serenity.

"Too bad this duel is almost over," said Bakura. "One more attack to your life points and you're finished. Would you like to forfeit the duel?"

"You know he'll never quit, Kura," I said.

Bakura only smiled at me.

Yami placed two cards face down and ended his turn.

The destiny board chose the third letter: 'N'.

Bakura ended his turn.

"Make your move," he said.

"With pleasure," said Yami, smiling.

"I have a feeling Yugi's about to turn this thing around," said Mai.

"I'm right there with you, gorgeous," I said.

She took my hand and gave it a squeeze for support.

Yami revealed the trap card collective power. It forced the effects of all magic cards to focus on kuriboh. It forced Bakura's evil ghost to leave every other monster and possess only kuriboh. Then he played a magic card called exile of the wicked, which destroyed his kuriboh, killing the evil spirit at the same time.

"Way to go, Yugi!" Tea cheered.

Yami, whose turn wasn't over, played monster reborn. He brought back the monster dark necrofear from the graveyard. The darkness, the eyes, and the mouths faded away. Without dark necrofear in the graveyard, dark sanctuary was defeated. With dark sanctuary gone, Bakura was no longer allowed to have more than five magic cards in play at one time.

Yami attacked with dark necrofear, destroying half of Bakura's life points.

Bakura looked livid.

The destiny board added the fourth letter: 'A'.

"F. I. N. A.," said Yami. "Your word is final. It's too bad you'll never play the last letter. Look at your duel disk. You have five magic cards in play and you have no room for any others. So if you want to play the last letter of your message, you must discard your dark door magic card and its affect on my monsters. With no monsters to protect you, my three monsters would wipe you out in one turn. The decision is yours."

"It can't be true," said Bakura, angrily.

"Stick a fork in that guy, cuz he's done," said Tristan.

"What does that even mean?" I asked him.

"Olive, don't ask questions," said Tristan. "It makes sense."

"I think Bakura has something else planned for Yugi," said Kaiba.

"What is that fool doing?" Marik thought.

"Prepare yourself, Yugi," said Bakura. "It's my turn and this duel is far from over." He drew a card and laughed. "I've done it, Yugi. The time has arrived for me to regain control."

"Dammit!" Joey swore.

"This can't be good," I muttered.

Bakura summoned a monster.

"I'm stumped," said Joey. "What's that do?"

"You tell us, mister expert," said Tristan.

"I've never seen that card," said Joey.

"Well, excuse me," said Tristan. "I thought you knew this stuff."

"By sacrificing one card in his hand, he can use jougin the spiritualist to destroy all specially summoned monsters on the field," I recited quickly, as if I were reading it from a book. It didn't even realize I'd been talking until I saw everyone staring at me. "Don't ask me how I knew that. You all know I know next to nothing about duel monsters," I said.

"No way!" said Joey.

"Way," said Mai. She had given me a funny look, but she was still holding my hand tightly for support. "Since Yugi summoned dark necrofear with a magic card, Bakura can destroy it."

"But won't that release the dark magic thing with all the eyeballs, like last time?" Tea asked.

Mai nodded.

Bakura sacrificed a card and activated his spiritualist to destroy dark necrofear. Dark sanctuary covered the field once again.

"One more turn and the dark destiny board can spell out the final letter, Yugi," said Bakura. "Prepare to say goodbye the Battle City Finals and so much more."

Joey shuddered, making a weird sound like he was disgusted by something. "With this dark magic stuff back, I'm creeped out!" he said.

"Okay, snap out of it, chicken shit," Mai snapped. "Are you just going to curl up in a ball or are you going to be here for your friend?"

"Go Yugi!" cheered Serenity.

"Come on," said Tea, uneasily.

"Yea!" Joey yelled. "I know you can get out of this mess, buddy!"

"Are you sure?" Serenity whispered to Joey.

"No matter how tough the fight, Yugi always pulls through," said Joey.

"I suggest you give up now, Yugi," said Bakura. He set a card face down and ended his turn. "It's your last turn, Yugi. Then you're done, once and for all. You can't win, Yugi."

"I think he's right," said Duke. "Yugi has no options left."

"Come on! Show a little faith, will you?" Tristan shouted, angrily.

"Tristan, I really hate to say it, but I think Duke might be right about this," said Mai.

"Joey, is she right?" asked Serenity.

"No way!" Joey declared. "Yugi's gonna win this!"

"But, Joey..." Mai said.

"But nothing!" Joey interjected. "He can do it. We believe in you, Yugi! I've seen you get out of way tougher spots than this before! So win this!"

Mai smiled. "You're right, Joey," she said. "You can do this, Yugi!"

"Yugi, hang in there!" Tea called.

"You can beat him, Yugi! Come on!" shouted Tristan.

"You're going to win," I whispered. I may as well have shouted, because everyone looked at me. I ignored them. "You're going to win, Yami!" I called.

"Why is she calling him Yami?" Serenity asked Joey.

"It's this weird nickname thing that Olive made up for him at Duelist Kingdom," said Joey. "But if Olive thinks he's going to win, then it must be true! She's never been wrong yet."

"Can't you see? I've already defeated you. Just make your move so we can finish this, Yugi," said Bakura.

"Prepare to experience a power like no other!" said Yami, drawing a card. Out of nowhere, dark clouds crackling with electricity gathered overhead. Strong winds began to blow. A single streak of lightening hit the card in Yami's hand and seemed to light up the entire sky. "I sacrifice my three monsters to summon the almighty Slifer the Sky Dragon!" Yami declared. The dragon was so long, that it's red body wound around the blimp. It's huge head with two mouths towered over Yami.

"His Egyptian God Card..." said Bakura, taking a step back. "I was so close."

"Um... Joey..." said Serenity, shaking.

"What's that?" asked Tristan.

"The hugest duel monster I've ever seen!" Joey exclaimed.

"It's an Egyptian God Card," I said, quietly.

"The ghost of dark sanctuary is still wandering the field, Yugi," said Bakura. "And now my evil ghost will attack and possess Slifer the Sky Dragon!" But when the ghost tried, it merely bounced off the air when it got too close to Slifer.

"I can't lose!" Bakura cried, angry and frustrated. "There's too much at stake for me!"

"You will lose! This duel is over!" said Yami, in a powerful voice.

"All right!" Joey cheered, loudly.

"Prepare to lose," said Yami.

"It's not over yet, you fool!" Marik thought, with so much power, that not only my head hurt, but the scar on my arm began to throb as well. I ripped my hand away from Mai's and covered my arm just in time. I didn't want anyone to see it glowing and stare at me like I was pretending to be a night light or something. "I have a plan for us," Marik continued.

"What?" Bakura demanded, out loud.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon! Attack his life points with..." Yami stopped.

"I sense something," he thought.

He turned and I followed his gaze. The man in the dark robes who had claimed to be Marik was approaching, the millennium rod in his fist.  
"What does he want?" Yami thought.

"Perhaps you ought to wait before you attack with Slifer the Sky Dragon," said the man.

"What do you want, Marik?" asked Yami.

"Hey, come up here and get a piece of this!" Joey challenged, running forward.

Duke grabbed him and Tristan ran in front of the two of them and pushed Joey backwards.

"I don't think you want to mess with this guy, man," said Tristan.

"Hey, just who do you think you are, anyway?" Mokuba demanded. "You can't just bust in here and interrupt someone else's duel."

"What is it?" asked Yami.

"Listen carefully," said the man. He held up the millennium rod. "Bakura is now under the control of the millennium rod. He will do only what I command him to do."

"How can that be?" asked Yami. "I thought the spirit of the millennium ring was in control of Bakura."

"Poor Bakura," I murmured.

"True," said the false Marik. "But now I am in control of both Bakura _and_ the spirit and now I shall prove it by freeing your friend's mind."

"The only way to win this duel is to release the mind of the boy you control," Marik thought to Bakura.

"Why?" Bakura asked.

"Your opponent won't destroy his friend," Marik thought.

"Fine," Bakura thought back.

Bakura's features changed and I let out a cry. I had to remind myself that I'd just heard the entire, manipulative plan. Bakura swayed and fell to his knees, holding onto his arm where it was bandaged. It was heartbreaking to me.

"Yugi, help me," said Bakura, weakly. "I don't know what I'm doing here in the middle of this duel. Where am I? What happened to my arm?"  
"It is him..." Yami whispered.

"He's in pain," said false-Marik. "Without the spirit of the millennium ring, he is weak. Therefore, you may wish to reconsider your attack. The devastation caused by Slifer the Sky Dragon could make your friend's condition even worse. Would you risk the health of your friend?"

"Only a coward would do something like this to win a duel," said Yami.

"That's a cheap trick, Marik!" Joey shouted.

I turned my head to look at the real Marik. "Yes, it is," I said, quietly.

"Yugi, hang in there!" Tea called. "Bakura, it's going to be okay."

"I don't feel very well, Yugi..." Bakura said, quietly.

Yami started forward, but was stopped by the referee. If he didn't continue to duel, he would forfeit the match.

"Stop the duel," said Tea, tearfully. "Bakura needs to see a doctor right now."

"Yugi, help," Bakura called.

"Yugi, I'll make this decision very easy for you," said Kaiba coldly. "Finish him off."

"I offer you a second warning," said the referee. "Resume dueling or forfeit the match."

"I have to make a decision," I heard Yami think. He clenched his fist. "Do I risk Bakura's health to save the world?"

"We're about to win this duel," I heard the spirit of the millennium ring think. "Yugi would never attack his friend Bakura."

"Unless he doesn't want to lose the finals," Marik commented back to him.

"Please," said Bakura. "Someone help me. Yugi...Olive..."

When Bakura said my name, my heart ached. I looked at Yami and he was already looking at me, his eyes full of questions. He needed an answer. I cared about Bakura so much, but I had been sent here to guide the Pharaoh to do what it took to save the world. I had to put everything else aside and just trust that things would turn out okay. I hesitated, but only for a split second.

"You have to attack him," I said, in a steady voice. I didn't whisper, I didn't shout. I felt void of all emotion.

Yami nodded. I could see his features harden with the realization of what he had to do.

"He will listen to that damned witch!" I heard the spirit of the millennium ring think. "Marik, I have to step in. I still need Bakura and I can't risk his health. He holds the millennium ring and my spirit. I must protect him for the moment."

There was a flash of bright light and Bakura was standing again, the familiar evil gleam back in his eyes.

"I'm back, Yugi," he said. He pointed at me. "Once a traitor, always a traitor," he snarled. "There was not a person you crossed paths with that you did not manipulate and lie to. You betrayed everyone who ever trusted you. Even in five thousand years, nothing has changed. You wait." He turned back to Yami. "I'm back in control of your friend. I still need him, so if you plan on using your Egyptian God Card, why don't you use it on me right now? Come on!"

"Alright! It's time!" said Yami. "Now! Slifer the Sky Dragon! Attack!"

"Yugi's won this duel, but I'll be back to take what's mine," Bakura thought, as the light and the wave of power engulfed him. When the light disappeared, Bakura was laying on the ground, unconscious.

"The winner is, Yugi Muto!" the referee declared, as all of the holograms of monsters faded.

"Bakura!" Yami cried, running forward.

"Lower that arena and get them down here!" Joey demanded.

Everyone rushed forward to make sure that Bakura was okay.

Everyone, that was, except for me and Marik.

"Where am I?" asked Bakura.

"You're with your friends now," said Yami.

"Where...where's Olive?" he asked.

No one answered. They just looked over at me.

"Turns out your calling isn't quite so easy, is it?" Marik asked me, quietly.

"I'm going to tell the Pharaoh who you are," I said.

"Go ahead," Marik sneered. "He thinks I'm his friend. Between that and seeing Odion's little trick with the millennium rod tonight, he's not going to believe you."

"Olive, are you okay?" asked Tea, looking worried.

I nodded and walked forward. Once I reached them, I knelt down and pulled Bakura close to me. As weak as he was, he wrapped his arms around me too. In that moment, I dissolved into sobs.


	29. An Unexpected Visitor

Chapter Twenty-Nine

After a few minutes, Mai pulled me gently away from Bakura. Joey helped Bakura onto Tristan's back while Mai cooed soothing words to me. Everyone stood up then, and they left to take him to his room. Yami didn't follow them. I took two steps after them, but then stopped in my tracks. As much as I wanted to make sure Bakura was okay, I didn't want to be near him right then.

"I'm glad Bakura's alright," Yami said, from behind me. "That was one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make. If the evil spirit of the millennium ring hadn't come back, I don't know what I would have done."

"You would have attacked him," I said, without looking back. "You would have attacked him because I'm supposed to be guiding you and I told you that you should. I would have let you possibly kill Bakura."

"Bakura didn't die, Olive," said Yami.

"I know that, but the point is that he could have," I said. "It was a possibility and I knew that and I still would have let it happen."

"You can't blame yourself for trying to make the right decision when neither solution has a great outcome," said Yami. "You were very diplomatic. You thought of what was the right thing overall. You didn't allow your...personal feelings to impair your judgment. The millennium ring is a lot like my puzzle," said Yami, after a long pause. He was trying to change the subject. "It holds and ancient spirit that depends on someone else so that it can exist. Even though the spirit is evil, it still needs Bakura to survive."

"But the spirit inside my item is my friend," I heard Yugi think. He was speaking to Yami. "We are always here to support each other. You were there for me when I needed to rescue my grandfather and now I'm here to help you rescue the world from evil. Your destiny is mine too."

I smiled, sadly, and glanced back at Yami just in time to see him become Yugi again. "I'm really confused," I whispered.

"It's okay," said Yugi. "We're going to figure this out, Olive. You're a great support and an even greater friend."

"I wasn't a great friend to Bakura tonight," I said.

"You helped make the decision that Yami would have needed to make," said Yugi.

"I don't think he would have done it though," I said, giving Yugi a look. "I mean, come on. I don't think he would hurt a friend."

"Well, now we never have to find out now, do we?" asked Yugi. "Cheer up, Olive. Thank you for being here for us."

"Of course," I said.

"Are you going to be okay?"

I nodded slowly and tried to smile. "I'll get there," I promised. "I think I'm just in shock."

We started walking forward.

"Hold up," said the referee. "According to Battle City rules, you are entitled to take the rarest card from your opponents deck. It's time to claim your prize, Yugi."

"No way," said Yugi. "I think Bakura's been through enough already."

I smiled at Yugi. "That was cool of you," I said. "Really, Yugi, you're a good person."

Yugi smiled, but didn't respond. The two of us walked to Bakura's room in silence.

In Bakura's room, Tristan had laid Bakura on the bed. Bakura was already asleep.

"Bakura's been through a lot and he definitely needs rest," said Duke. "But I think we should land this blimp and get him to a hospital."

"Some crazy stuff went down in that duel," said Joey. "Especially when Marik showed up. What exactly happened back there?"

"For some reason Marik didn't want the spirit of the ring to lose. So when I was about to play my God Card and win the duel, Marik used his millennium rod to free Bakura. Since Bakura was injured, he knew I would forfeit the duel instead of attacking him. But the spirit of the ring must have been afraid I was going to attack Bakura because he took control again at the end," said Yugi.

"So wait, you mean to tell me that the dark spirit of the millennium ring _let_ you win?" asked Joey.

"Yup," said Yugi. "He depends on Bakura to survive and if I attacked Bakura with Slifer, the spirit might have been in danger too. Since the evil spirit was in control of Bakura when I attacked, Bakura was spared."

"This is all so confusing," said Tea.

I laughed. "You don't know the half of it, Tea," I said.

"I think it's time to talk to Kaiba about getting Bakura back into the hospital as soon as possible," said Tristan.

"I'll stay here and watch after Bakura," said Tea. She looked at me. "Did you want to stay with me, Olive?"

I looked at her for a second, pausing to think. "No," I said, finally. I shook my head just slightly. "I'm sorry, but I can't be here right now."

"That's fine," said Tea, smiling understandingly.

Everyone started to leave the room.

Yugi stopped and looked at Bakura. "It's gone. His millennium ring. He was wearing it til the end of the duel, but now it's just gone," said Yugi, sounding a little confused.

"Maybe that's a good thing," I said, shrugging.

"That thing seems to come and go all the time for no reason at all," Tristan pointed out.

I gave him a look. "Tristan," I said. "Come on. It doesn't disappear and reappear for no reason, though. That thing is evil."

"Your Egyptian God Card probably blasted it sky high, Yugi," said Joey. He turned to me. "And you know what, you stop being so negative, okay? Now, let's go find Kaiba."

Tristan, Duke, Joey, and Serenity left the room. Mai had already gone back to her room to focus on her strategy for when she got a chance to duel. I slunk behind and fell in step with Yugi.

"I have to talk to you," I said to him.

"I need to go prepare for my next duel and get some rest while I can," said Yugi. "But, what do you need to talk about."

"I need to talk to you about Namu," I said.

"That's pretty crazy that you worked with him last summer and now he's here dueling, huh?" asked Yugi. "I bet it's nice for you to be able to see him."

I shrugged. "That would be...an interesting way to put it," I said. I sighed and looked up. I could have sworn that I saw a man in a white robe with a turban turning the corner. "Shadi," I whispered.

"What was that?" asked Yugi.

"Um," I said, distractedly. "Yugi, I have to go...see something," I said, walking forward.

"But what did you need to tell me about Namu?" he asked.

"Don't trust him," I said. "He's lying about who he is. You guys go find Kaiba. I have to go check something out." In a hurry, I ran around the corner just in time to see Shadi disappear into a room. I followed him quickly. When I opened the door, I didn't see him anywhere. I walked into the room, confused. It looked like it may have been one of the rooms they were preparing for the extra guests on board.

"Attention Battle City Finalists!" a voice crackled over the intercom. "With the completion of the opening duel, there will be a half hour intermission. At the end of this intermission, all remaining finalists are instructed to report to the main concourse for the selection of the next Battle City Finals matchup."

I turned to leave the room, but he was standing in front of me.

"Shadi," I said, a small smile creeping into the corners of my lips. "I thought I saw you."

"I am not surprised," said Shadi, the man in the white robe and turban that I'd seen earlier. Now that I was facing him, I could see he was wearing a millennium item himself, the millennium key. I'd met him the first time a year ago at the Duelist Kingdom tournament. He'd showed up after he'd sensed some sort of disturbance. When he'd run into Yugi and me, he'd used the millennium key to unlock Yugi's mind. It had been quite an experience. "Although I have cloaked myself so that no one can see me, your powers have grown immensely."

"Thank you, I think," I said.

"As your spirit begins to remember the powers you once possessed, it accepts them once again," he said, as if that were the clearest explanation possible. He motioned to me. "Look at how you transform in my presence."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He pointed to a mirror and I turned to look. I gasped.

My skin had grown more tan, the way it was when I'd been in Egypt last summer. My eyes, still dark green, were lined thickly in black. I was wearing a black bandeau top and a flowy black skirt that fell to my knees. I had on no shoes, suddenly. The golden ankle bracelet from my dreams, that looked the same as the one Namu...I mean Marik...had given me was around my ankle. There were gold cuffs on my wrists. My hair still looked similar to the way it always looked - slightly wavy, messy. The only difference was that now there were random little braids in it, with beads and feathers braided in. A thin circlet of gold was around my forehead. The eye shaped scar on my forearm had become a tattoo, just like it was in my dreams.

"What the hell..." I began.

"You look as you did in ancient times, High Priestess," said Shadi, with a slight bow.

"But why?" I asked.

"Your spirit has recognized your power. I believe that being near the power of another ancient at such a time has caused this transformation," said Shadi.

"Well," I said, surveying my reflection in the mirror. "At least I look good." I turned back to Shadi. "Why are you here, Shadi?"

"I would like for you to stay with me while I spend my time here," said Shadi. "I believe it could benefit both of us to spend some time in each other's presence."

I nodded slowly. "Alright," I said.

He held out his hand. I thought for a second and then reached out and took his hand.

The world seemed to spin and then we were on top of the blimp.

"What are we doing?" I asked.

"Your friends are in need of help," said Shadi, walking quickly to the edge.

I followed.

"I'm sorry, Duke!" I heard Tristan say.

"Don't let go!" said Duke.

"Too late!" Tristan replied. "My hand is slipping!"

We reached the edge and Shadi grabbed Tristan's hand right before it slipped out of reach. I reached his side and peered over the edge. Tristan was holding onto Duke. He looked up at us, first at Shadi and then at me.

"What's going on up there?" asked Duke.

"Someone's got me!" said Tristan. "Olive's here."

I reached over and helped Shadi pull them up.

Once they were safe, Shadi turned and we were both in Yugi's room.

Yugi saw us in the reflection of a window and turned to look at us.

"I remember you," he said. "You're Shadi." He looked at me. "What are you doing here, Olive? What are you wearing?"

I blinked slowly and said, "I am familiarizing myself with the way things were."

"She is here to benefit from my power," said Shadi. "She is becoming who she was in ancient times. Being near her also helps me keep my mind clear. The power of her very being guides my thoughts. You have learned much since we first met in Duelist Kingdom, Yugi. You are beginning to understand your fate and it's relation to the past - a fate that intertwines with that of the spirit who dwells within your millennium puzzle."  
"Well, I know a little bit," said Yugi. "I know that Olive was a high priestess who guided Yami and that Yami was an ancient Pharaoh."

"That is correct," said Shadi. "Together, with Olive's guidance, you must save the earth."

"From an ancient evil," said Yugi. "I know. But are you here to explain how, cuz I'm still confused."

Shadi looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he said. "I am but the guardian of the seven millennium items - a task that was entrusted to me by the Pharaoh many years ago. It is a task that was made possible by the High Priestess. I am here because I sensed a disturbance in the mystic alignment once again. All seven items are on board this vessel, as well as the three Egyptian God Cards, which means all of the objects capable of saving and destroying the world are right here."

"Really?" asked Yugi, sounding shocked.

"The earth's safety rests with you, Yugi," said Shadi. "Heed my words. If the wrong individuals were to gain control of any of the millennium items or one of the Egyptian God Cards, the results could be catastrophic. It nearly happened once before when Pegasus created duel monsters. I led him to the ancient stone tablets and he recreated the three Egyptian God Monsters as duel monsters cards. Pegasus _was_ destined to awaken the Egyptian God Monsters, but he was not destined to control their powerful magic. He had released a dangerous force that would be a great risk to the earth. Pegasus returned to Egypt to seal then in the tomb alongside their original carvings. Ishizu Ishtar was waiting for him in Egypt. With her help, he sealed away the cards."

"Then Marik tried to steal them?" asked Yugi, incredulously.

"If he were to get his hands on all three, the results would be devastating," said Shadi.

The millennium puzzle lit up and Yami stood before us.

"I can assure you," he said, "Marik will never hold all three Egyptian God Cards."

Shadi fell to one knee and bowed.

"I am curious," said Yami. "Why do you bow, but Olive does not?"

"The High Priestess never bows, my Pharaoh," said Shadi. "She is a one of a kind being that recognizes no ruler. Although she may not yet realize all of this. She has always considered you an equal and a friend."

Yami nodded thoughtfully, watching me. He seemed more comfortable with me dressed in my ancient Egyptian priestess clothes. Strangely enough, I felt quite comfortable dressed that way as well. For the first time in a long time, I felt very calm about my powers and very calm about the future. Things felt right for some reason.

"My Pharaoh," said Shadi. "It is an honor for me to be in your presence once again. I have great confidence in you. I know that you will restore order to the world and put an end to this chaos, just as you did five thousand years ago. My complete faith lies in you."

The intercom crackled to life and Yami turned his head.

"All remaining finalists must now report to the main concourse," said the man.

I can't explain it, but in an instant we were gone, as if we had never been there. I wasn't aware that we had left until we were somewhere else. It was done as easily as breathing, without even conscious thought.

We were now sitting in two chairs across from Ishizu. Her face was mostly covered with a plain white cloth, but I still knew it was her.

"I'll save you, Marik. I know there's still good within you," she thought. There was pain in her eyes, her thoughts, and her heart. Marik had hurt her.

"Ishizu," I said, quietly and she looked at us.

"It's happening," said Shadi.

"Shadi, Olive," she said. "With so much at stake, I should have known you'd both be here."

"Yes," said Shadi. "Evil once again walks the earth, bringing madness in its wake."

"I just never thought my own brother would be the medium for this evil," she said, sadly.

"Power corrupts even the truest of souls, Ishizu," I said. "Not even those who can see the future can predict what life an individual may choose."

"Oh, Marik," she thought, closing her eyes. "The world must be saved, but at what cost? I don't want to lose my brother."

And in another breath, without so much as a 'goodbye', we were gone again.

This time we reappeared in Bakura's room. He was sleeping and Tea was standing beside his bed. When I looked down at him, I knew I should have felt a wave of emotion, but something about the powers in the room or my ancient powers had made me feel such a calm, that I felt no turmoil at all.

"The mystic disturbance that brought me here is strongest in this room," said Shadi.

Tea didn't hear us or show any signs of seeing us.

"I feel that the destiny's of certain millennium items are being manipulated," said Shadi.

"Bakura has been a host body to the Thief King," I said, quietly.

Shadi looked at me in surprise. "You cannot let him sway you from what is right then, Olive. Be careful," he said. "Until harmony is restored, the world will be in grave peril. High Priestess, you must stay near the Pharaoh as often as you are able. Keep a clear mind and get good rest. For now, I must leave you."

I nodded and, once again, I had disappeared. This time I reappeared on the main concourse where everyone else was waiting for the second set of duelists to be selected. No one seemed to notice that I had appeared out of nowhere. I was standing between Marik - the real Marik - and Tea.

Tea grabbed my hand and squeezed. "Oh, this is so exciting!" she said. "And scary, in a way, too! Are you feeling better?" she asked.

I didn't answer.

On my other side, Marik had taken my other hand. He laced his fingers through mine and lifted my arm a little so he could look at the tattoo. I turned, slowly, to look at him. Looking slightly intrigued, he nodded slightly, the barest hint of smile on his face.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you, Priestess," he said.


	30. Duel: Joey vs Odion

Chapter Thirty

"The selector will now randomly pick the next two duelists," said Mokuba. "So remember your numbers. If you're selected, then you'll be participating in the second duel of the finals."

"The first duelist chosen is..." one of the suits that worked for Kaiba said, "number two! Joey Wheeler!"

"Yea! It's time to kick some major ass!" Joey cheered.

"And Mister Wheeler's opponent is...duelist number seven! Marik Ishtar!"

"It's go time!" said Joey.

Yugi glared at the man who was pretending to be Marik.

"Yugi..." I said, starting forward, but the real Marik, who still had hold of my hand, pulled me back.

"I wouldn't say anything if I were you, Olive," he said.

"Shove off," I snapped. "I don't need to listen to you."

"Joey's facing off against Marik," Yugi thought. "I'm sure he's planning on using his millennium rod to win this duel, so Joey's gotta be ready for anything."

"I hope you brought a parachute," Joey taunted. "Because I'm blasting you right off this blimp. You got that, Marik?"

"You're a coward," I said to Marik.

Marik shrugged. "Why waste my energy if I can get other people to do things for me, pretty girl?"

"Don't," I said, pulling my hand away from his.

"Come on, Olive," said Marik. "Why are you on Yugi's side anyway? Because my sister told you to? Really, you know nothing about what's going on and I could teach you. Everything could be just like last summer."

"Shut up," I said, pretending I didn't care.

Everyone headed to the elevator. I stopped by Joey's room, quickly, and pulled a black t-shirt over the skimpy bandeau top so my stomach wasn't exposed. I changed out of the skirt and into a pair of black skinny jeans. It was way too cold up there. For a minute, I hesitated by Bakura's door. Then I forced myself to continue to the elevator.

The field was just being elevated when I arrived. "Marik", who was really Odion, and Joey were glaring at each other, shuffling their cards.

"Joey better watch what he says to this guy," Tristan was saying.

"Tristan's right," Mai thought. "Joey's gotta stay focused and stop shuffling his deck already."

She turned to me and raised her eyebrows. "What did you do to your hair and makeup?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Does it look that bad?" I asked.

She looked me up and down. "It's just different..." she said. "Kind of weird."

"I think you look great," said Duke.

"Duke thinks I look great," I said.

Mai smirked. "Then you must look amazing," she said.

"I knew you secretly thought so," I teased. "You want me, Mai. That's all there is to it."

"Oh, lemme tell you," said Mai, rolling her eyes. "You know whose room I'll be in tonight."

"I hope Joey's okay," said Serenity, quietly. She looked worried.

"Serenity, I almost forgot," said Tea. "This is the first time seeing your brother duel, isn't it?"

"Yea, that's right," said Serenity.

"I'm sure with you here, cheering him on, there's no way he'll lose," said Tea, with a smile.

"Yea, it'll be okay, Serenity," Tristan added. "Just stay positive."

Serenity smiled, gratefully, at him.

Duke opened his mouth to say something, with a look at me, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him away from Tristan and Serenity. "You can stand over here by me, lover boy," I said.

He folded his arms and said, quietly, "What if I'm not interested in you anymore, Olive? What if...I really do like Serenity now?"

I shrugged. "Whatever," I said.

He grimaced, but didn't answer. He also didn't leave my side.

"I'll make this guy wish he never tried to control my mind," I heard Joey think angrily as they both went to take their places.

"Yo, listen up, you bald headed freak," Joey snapped. "According to my math, you're going to be all washed up in nine turns."

"Where'd he come up with nine?" asked Duke.

"Look, with Joey, you don't ask," said Tristan.

"My brother's so awesome!" Serenity exclaimed. "He's got this whole duel calculated in his head already!"

"That's right, Serenity, you just keep _believing_ everything he says," said Mai, sarcastically.

"Be nice," I whispered to her.

"These fools will never suspect that I am the one they fear and despise so greatly," I heard Marik think. "And while I hide safely in the shadows, Odion will fight my battles for me. But something else concerns me. It's Seto Kaiba and his role in this struggle. Little Yugi isn't the only one standing between me and the power of the Pharaoh." Beside me, he closed his eyes and I saw an image of the stone tablet we'd seen in the museum. "The ancient tablets also depict a sorcerer who bears a striking resemblance to Kaiba. What concerns me even more is what appears to be my millennium rod in the hands of this sorcerer. I'll have to keep an eye on him as well." He glanced at me and held my gaze for a moment when he saw me watching him. "If only I understood what sorts of magic the High Priestess put into these items."

"Hey, Seto, if Marik really is the leader of the rare hunters, he must have a ton of rare cards in his deck," said Mokuba.

"There's only one card in his deck that I care about, and that's his Egyptian God Card, the winged dragon of Ra," said Seto. "Hopefully that hack, Joey Wheeler will last long enough in this duel for me to see how that card works so I can win it for myself."

"So serious about this game," I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.

"What was that, Reynolds?" Kaiba snapped.

"I was just saying that you all take this game so seriously," I said.

"As if you know anything about duel monsters," Kaiba snapped.

"I don't," I said. "And it doesn't bother me, babe. Besides, if I ever want to know, I have plenty of people who can teach me."

"Like me," said Duke.

"Exactly," I said, kissing Duke's cheek. "Like Duke."

"When you get bored of those losers, why don't you stop by my place, Olive?" Kaiba smirked. "I seem to recall you used to love it there."

"Don't count on it," I said.

Kaiba laughed softly. "We'll see how long that lasts," he said.

"Listen to me, Odion," I heard Marik think. I jumped a little, surprised, and I saw Kaiba smirk again. I ignored him. I could feel Marik directing his thoughts and energy towards Odion, which was a strange sensation. In a way, the power felt like a solid thing to me. "If you can't defeat this pathetic fool, then you don't stand a chance against the Pharaoh. So unless you'd like to take an unexpected journey to the shadow realm, I suggest you refrain from disappointing me."

"Yes, Master Marik," I heard Odion think back. "I pledge my word that I shall defeat this worthless opponent."

"You and Bakura," I muttered, quietly, turning my head toward Marik. I met his eyes. "Always threatening others with the shadow realm. Doesn't it get old?"

"Of course, _you_ wouldn't understand," Marik scoffed.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

He smiled. "It's funny how much knowledge you've lost of your former lifetime," said Marik.

"Prepare for defeat!" Odion said.

"I'm not afraid of you, Marik," Joey snapped. "I'll start, you freak."

"Yea, come on, Joey! You're the man!" Tristan cheered.

"Show this creep who's boss!" said Mai.

"Hey, Yugi, did Joey ever take back his red eyes black dragon card?" asked Duke.

Yugi shook his head. "Nope," he said.

"He'll be alright," said Tristan. "Come on, Joey. You've come this far, man. You can beat him!"

"Yea, but I'll bet he's never faced an opponent as unpredictable as this guy," said Duke.

I caught sight of Serenity's worried look and elbowed Duke in the side.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

"One, don't be so insensitive. Serenity's worried," I said. "Two, you're really cute when you're angry."

The color rose in his face, slightly and he turned away from me. He reached for my hand and, awkwardly, I let him take it for a minute, before pretending I had an itch on my face and pulling my hand away.

"Come on, Joey, stay focused," thought Yugi, worriedly.

Joey summoned a card in attack mode and ended his turn. Odion played a magic card called Temple of the Kings. A huge building rose up behind him. In front of the temple, Odion laid down two cards and dared Joey to try and attack him.

"Marik didn't even summon one monster," said Tea, confused.

"Attack his life points!" Tristan called.

"That's stupid," said Duke.

"Oh, and why is that?" asked Tristan.

"Because Marik probably wants him to attack so he can activate his face down card," said Duke. "It's way too risky, dummy."

"Stay calm, Joey," Joey thought.

"Everything alright, Joey?" asked Serenity.

Joey didn't answer. He thought for a minute and then summoned another monster.

Odion placed two more cards face down and ended his turn.

"That spineless snake is just going to sit back and wait for Joey to attack him," Mai sneered. "It's the oldest and wimpiest trick in the book."

"I'm sure my brother has a plan," said Serenity.

Joey summoned another monster and then played a magic card called giant trunade.

"Yes!" Mai cheered. "Marik will have nothing on the field to protect himself!"

"Looks like Joey's the winner," said Yugi.

"It's not that easy," I said. "The duel isn't over yet."

"Wise words," Marik's voice whispered in my mind.

"Joey's going to win though," I added.

"Fool," Marik scoffed.

Out loud, he asked, "How do you know that, Olive?"

I shrugged. "I always know," I said. "Usually not this early on, but the thought just comes to me and I'm always right." I smiled at him, slyly. "I'm psychic, didn't you know?"

Marik frowned. "For his sake, Odion better hope you're wrong," Marik thought.

Right before Joey's giant trunade reached Odion's card, it stopped and disappeared.

"What's going on?" asked Mai.

"Your giant trunade is no more," said Odion. "And your troubles have only just begun." Odion's trap card, judgment of Anubis, was activated. It destroyed all of Joey's monsters and lowered his life points to nineteen hundred.

"By thinking he had the duel won, Joey fell right into Marik's trap," said Tea.

"Let's just hope Joey learned his lesson," said Mai. "One more mistake like that and he can kiss the finals goodbye and he's come too far to lose it all to a creep with a bad attitude. Not to mention, a bad hairdo."

"Marik is tough, but you still think Joey can win, right guys?" asked Serenity.

"Yea, sure," said Tea, trying to sound confident.

"Think he can win?" asked Tristan. "I know he can win, right Yugi?"

Yugi nodded and smiled at Serenity. "Don't worry, Serenity, Joey's been in tougher situations than this. He just needs a little support from us and he'll be whipping Marik in no time."

"Come on, Joey! You can do it!" Serenity cheered.

"Yea, hang in there, man!" Tristan added.

"You gotta give Joey credit for staying strong and never giving up," said Mokuba.

"The only thing I give Wheeler credit for is being all talk," Kaiba responded.

"Don't be such a shit, Kaiba," I snapped.

He looked surprised for a second. Then he smiled and shook his head.

Odion placed two more cards face down and ended his turn. Joey summoned a card called alligator sword in attack mode and paused, trying to decide if he should attack or not. He played a card face down and ended his turn. Odion ended his turn without making a move. He was trying to force Joey to attack him. So Joey passed his turn too. Odion did the same thing. Joey summoned another monster and attacked Odion's life points directly.

"Joey, this is a big mistake!" Yugi called.

Odion activated a trap card that gave him control of Joey's monster. He turned it around and sent the attack back at Joey's monster. Joey activated a trap card that hid his monster. Odion tried to attack, but alligator sword was safe.

"Do you even have a single monster card? I bet your entire deck is just loaded with trap cards," said Joey.

"The truth is you've already fallen into another of my traps," said Odion.

"Enough talk, Odion," Marik thought, angrily. "Finish him off so we can move onto more important matters."

I shuddered at the anger in his voice.

"Scared?" he asked me.

"No," I insisted. "Just repulsed by the thought that I ever kissed you."

Marik smirked. "I have reason to believe you weren't repulsed at all," he said.

"What do you mean I've fallen into another trap?" asked Joey.

Odion activated a card called a trap-monster card. It was a card that activated like a trap, but attacked like a monster. Two more cards were activated - Odion didn't just have one trap-monster, he had three.

"That's insane," said Mokuba.

"I must say, I'm impressed," said Kaiba.

"For someone who was so vocal before, you seem to be really silent," said Odion.

"Come on, man," said Tristan.

"Marik may attack in his next turn, so Joey needs to be ready," said Yugi.

"Hey, guys, what can Joey do to get rid of those gross things?" asked Serenity.

"I love having someone else here who knows as much about duel monsters as I do," I said.

"It's not easy," Mai answered Serenity. "The first thing that boy has to do is keep his life points safe."

Joey place a card face down and switched his alligator sword into defense mode. When Odion attacked in his next mode, Joey activated his card. Then Odion activated a trap card that cancelled out the effect of Joey's magic card. Both of Joey's monsters were destroyed and then his life points were attacked directly. They dropped to two hundred.

"Joey!" Serenity cried out as Joey fell to his knees with the impact of the blow.

"He almost lost the rest of his life points," said Tristan.

"Get up, Joey!" Yugi called.

"What a shame," Odion taunted. "Looks like you made it all the way to the finals to lose on your knees."

"Don't give up!" Tristan called.

"Tristan," said Serenity, turning to look at him with big eyes that looked like they were ready to overflow with tears. "Joey can still win this duel, can't he?"

"Sure he can," said Tristan, gently.

"Well, if you say so," said Mai, skeptically.

"What do you mean?" asked Serenity.

"Yea, Mai," Tea snapped. "What _do_ you mean?"

"Look, guys, I want Joey to win, but the odds in this duel are completely against him," said Mai. "Face it, Serenity. Marik still has all of his life points and your brother is down to his final two hundred."

"But, Mai..." said Serenity, her eyes watering.

"Well, there's a slim chance," Mai admitted. "But Joey might have lost hope. Your brother needs a serious confidence boost."

I touched Serenity's arm and she looked at me. "He's going to win, Serenity," I said. "Don't doubt that."

"I'd suggest forfeiting to avoid humiliation," said Odion.

"No way!" Mai argued. "Don't you even think about listening to him, Joey."

"Why not?" asked Joey.

"Is that how you got here?" asked Mai. "By giving up or by sticking through it til the very end? Now that you're a finalist, are you gonna throw it all away? I guess you'll always be a runner up, then. And your sister will always remember how you wimped out."

"Joey! You can still win!" Serenity called. "I don't know anyone stronger than you and you inspire me every single day. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gotten my sight back. Not because you paid for my surgery, but because you gave me the strength to go through with it. Then when it was over, you gave me the strength I needed to take off my bandages and face the world. When everything was dark, you gave me light. You've never given up before, and you shouldn't start today."

Tristan sighed. "I think I'm in love with that girl," he said, quietly.

I laughed and he blushed. "Don't worry," I whispered back, winking. "I'll keep Devlin busy for you when I'm not busy helping the Pharaoh over there save the world."

"I won't give up," Joey told Serenity. He looked at Odion. "I bet you never had anyone who cared about you like that," he said.

"I did," said Odion. "But that was a time so very long ago. When I was just a baby, I was abandoned by a well. A woman heard my cries and rescued me from the darkness. She cared for me as if I were her own. So yes, I know what it's like to be loved."

Joey stood up. "I came to the finals for one reason: to win. And that's what I'm gonna do," Joey declared.

"That's right!" Serenity said.

"You tell him," said Mai, smiling.

I saw Yugi's puzzle glow and turned to look at him. He'd transformed into Yami. He nodded at me and I returned the gesture.

"Save the world," he said to Joey. "The power lies with you."

Joey placed two cards facedown and summoned swordsman of landstar in defense mode.

"What are you waiting for? Attack him!" Marik thought.

Odion called an attack, but Joey played a magic card. He also played a trap card called grave robber. With the cards he was able to summon the monster called Ginzo, the monster he'd won from Espa Roba. Ginzo's special ability was to destroy trap cards. Odion's three serpents were wiped out.

"Still think I'm an amateur or did you learn your lesson?" asked Joey.

"Looks like Wheeler got lucky," Kaiba thought.

Joey drew another card and summoned battle warrior in attack mode. He switched his swordsman of landstar into attack mode and then used Ginzo to attack his life points directly. His other two monsters attacked as well. Odion's life points were lowered to four hundred.

"Good thing I inspired him," Mai said, smugly.

"You're the man, Joey! You rock!" said Tristan.

"I knew you could do it," I said, quietly. I was never one to cheer at duels.

"Good job, Joey!" Serenity cheered, beaming.

"Listen to me, Odion," Marik thought. "You've allowed Joey Wheeler to come too far. He is worthless. Now finish him off."

Odion played swords of revealing light.

"Not good," said Mai. "Swords of revealing light stops Joey's monsters for three turns."

"He can still win, right?" asked Tea.

"Maybe, but not attacking for three turns won't help," said Mai.

Joey sacrificed his battle warrior to summon his legendary fisherman. Then he switched all three monsters to defense mode. Odion drew a card and looked shocked.

"Why do you look so shocked, Odion? If you're posing as me, you need to have my most powerful card in your deck," Marik thought. "That's why I slipped it in before this duel. I command you play that card."

I glanced at Marik sideways. He only smiled at me.

Odion placed a card facedown.

"Something strange is going on up there," said Tea. "Check out Marik. He looks really freaked out."

"Tea's right," Yugi thought. "Ever since he drew his last card, he's looked really worried."

Odion sealed another card in the sacred arc of the temple. "By sealing this card of the gods, I have also sealed your fate," he said.

"Card of the gods!" I heard Yami think in shock.

"It'll be okay," I thought.

Joey used monster reborn to bring back his alligator sword and sacrificed it to summon his insect queen. Joey's turn ended and Odion played a magic card called cup of sealed souls. Then he revealed his face down card, seal of circuit. I felt a pang of pain and recognition run through my head.

"Seem familiar, Priestess?" Marik thought at me. "They should. They are items you helped create."

I was shocked, but I didn't have time to think about it. The two cards, played along with his temple, summoned a monster that looked like a spiky scorpion.

"That creature is minute compared to what lurks within my sacred temple," said Odion.

"Then tell me. Now," Joey insisted. "What monster did you hide inside that arc, Marik?"

"Within the sacred arc lies my Egyptian God Card, the winged dragon of Ra!" Odion revealed.

For the first time in my life, I felt a strange feeling concerning the prediction I'd made. There was so little I knew about the Egyptian God Cards, although I knew that if I could just remember my ancient past, I would know nearly everything. But right now, with no memory and watching Joey's duel, when Odion mentioned the monster, I felt doubt creep into my stomach.


	31. A Flood of Memories

Chapter Thirty-One

"You don't scare me," Joey said. "I'll find a way to crush your oversized scorpion, Marik."

"That would be quite an achievement considering my ancient creature is more powerful than all three of your monsters, Mister Wheeler," said Odion. "The only question is, which of your monsters is the first my monster should devour?"

"There must be some way he can fight back!" Tea exclaimed.

"Don't ask me," said Mai.

"Hey, Yugi," Serenity said, quietly, turning to Yami. "My brother can still win this, right?"

"Yes," said Yami. "Even though Marik has the upper hand, Joey can still beat him. He just needs to find the weakness of Marik's mystical beast before it wipes out the rest of his life points."

"What about the card locked inside the arc?" asked Mai. "The winged dragon of Ra?"

"Yes, that's Marik's Egyptian God Card," said Yami.

"Joey needs to get Marik's life points down to zero before Marik plays that card," thought Yami. "Otherwise, Joey won't stand a chance."

"Do you know any way to defeat the winged dragon of Ra, Olive?" Yami asked me.

I pursed my lips and thought. "I know that I do," I said. I shook my head. "But I can't remember."

"Master Marik, why did you place your Egyptian God Card in my deck?" I heard Odion think.

"It's only a copy of the original," Marik responded. "I couldn't risk losing the most powerful Egyptian God Card in creation, so I had the rare hunters reproduce counterfeit cards. These forgeries are exact duplicates of the winged dragon of Ra and equally as powerful. The rare hunters tested each sample until we got it just right. Of course, when you're dealing with a creature of such power things can get quite...dangerous. Needless to say, many of my servants had difficulties with these cards. Not everyone can control the incredible power of an Egyptian God Monster. Eventually I realized that only individuals who possess a certain connection to the ancient scriptures can successfully use an Egyptian God Card. I have no doubt, Odion, that you will be successful when you play it."

"Thank you, Master Marik," Odion thought. "But I'm sure I can finish this duel without taking that chance."

"Now, Mister Wheeler, it's time for you to make your final move before my mystical beast annihilates you. And with my swords of revealing light, you still can't attack.," said Odion.

"Do you really think that's smart to make copies of those cards?" I asked Marik, quietly. "Because I think you're making a terrible mistake. You are risking hurting, maybe even killing, Odion. How many others did you watch die?"

Marik pretended not to hear me.

"You're going down," said Joey. He drew a card and left his monsters in defense mode.

"A desperate move," said Odion. "My beast can't be stopped, so feel it's ancient fury. My beast not only destroys the monsters it attacks, it absorbs some of their power, making it stronger." His monster killed Joey's Ginzo.

"If it continues destroying Joey's monsters, that means..." Tea said.

"...Marik's monster's attack strength will just continue to increase," Mai finished.

"Doesn't scare me," said Joey. He drew a card and passed.

Next, Joey's insect queen was destroyed.

"Joey, hang in there," said Tea.

"Yea, this joker has nothing on you!" Mai added.

Serenity started to cry. "My brother," she whispered. "I can't watch. It's just too much." She started to leave.

"Serenity, come back!" said Joey. She stopped and turned around. "Don't leave me now," said Joey. "I need you. I can't get through this duel without you here. You're my biggest inspiration, Serenity."

"Do you mean that?" asked Serenity.

"Absolutely," said Joey. "Where do you think I get all my courage from? From you. You're my family, so you gotta stay here and cheer me on."

"Okay," said Serenity. "You got it, big brother."

"Yes," Odion thought, sadly. "I've known comfort like that. Family can chase away the shadows of fear, like a light from above. I was only an infant, but I can still remember that cold dark night when I felt the light for the first time." I felt like I was intruding, but his thoughts continued to flood my mind. I wondered if Marik was listening too. "She gave me shelter from the cold and brought me into her home, deep beneath the desert sands, to raise me as if I were her own. All was peaceful until the day I discovered my family's secret."

Odion closed his eyes and, without thinking about it, I closed my eyes as well. I was pulled into the memories that Odion saw. He was lying on a bed, but had rolled on his side to peer through a doorway behind him. At a stone table, sat a man and a woman.

"For generations, our clan has protected and served the Great Pharaoh by guarding his ancient tomb. But now, our destiny is in jeopardy. Who will watch over the millennium rod and necklace if we have no children?" the man asked. "For five thousand years, we have waited in the darkness for the Pharaoh's return. We cannot fail him now!"

"But we have Odion. He can carry on our legacy," said the woman. "Why don't you give him the tomb keeper's initiation?"

"I already told you, Odion is not our flesh and blood," the man said, sounding cross with the woman.

"He's our only hope," she argued. "It was fate that brought him to us on that day. Please initiate Odion by his twelfth birthday."

Begrudgingly, the man nodded.

The memory melted into another scene. The woman was now holding a dark haired baby, beaming down at her.

"She's beautiful!" the woman cooed. "Her name shall be Ishizu."

"Finally, after all these years, a child of our own," said the man. "All we need now is a boy," he turned and walked away.

Again, the memory melted. Now it was nighttime and the woman was sitting down, speaking to Odion.

"Now, Odion, you know I've always thought of you as my son," she said. "But you cannot assume the family legacy until you've been through the tomb keeper's initiation, and you shall receive this sacred rite on your twelfth birthday."

"How will this change me?" asked Odion.

"You will bear the ancient scriptures, my child," said the woman. "You'll see. That is, if you still want to become a tomb keeper."

"Of course!" said the young Odion, looking excited. "Mother, does this mean I'll be exactly like you and Father?"

"Yes, dear," said his mother. "You will truly be our son."

The memory changed once again. Odion's mother was lying on a bed. On one side stood her husband. On the other side, Odion stood, holding the young Ishizu's hand. She looked about four or five.

"Look, dear," said the woman, joyfully. She handed her husband the swaddled baby. "It's a boy. Hold him dear."

"A true heir! Finally," exclaimed the man. "We shall call him Marik. Come, my son," he said, walking away with the baby.

The woman laid back down and let out a shaky breath.

"Mother, are you alright?" asked Odion.

"Just tired," she said. She held her hand out to Odion and he took it.. "Promise me, you'll always watch out for your brother and sister," she said.

"I promise, Mother," he said, tears in the corners of his eyes.

Again, the memory changed. Odion and Marik were playing with a ball.

"Our roles were defined," I heard Odion think. "He was the chosen one and I was his protector."

"I'll get the ball," said a young Marik, as it bounced away. I smiled at his innocence. "Here it is!" he called. Moments later, he let out a cry of surprise and pain.

"Marik!" Odion called, running to him.

Marik was on the ground holding his leg. Beside him was a snake.

Marik was crying.

Next, I saw Marik lying on a bed.

Their father was shouting. "You've disappointed me again, Odion! This is unacceptable! You vowed to us that you would protect Marik and now look at him, Odion! He's my family's future."

"I'm sorry, Master," said Odion.

"Sorry is not enough!" he shouted. "Marik's my flesh and blood. He must carry on my legacy!" The man shoved Odion against the wall. "Don't you dare leave Marik's side until his fever has passed and he is well. I command you," said the man, leaving the room.

Odion walked over to Marik, who opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry. It was all my fault, big brother," said Marik.

"Don't let your father hear you say that," said Odion.

"Forget him," said little Marik. "You will always be my big brother, Odion."

"Thank you," said Odion. He took Marik's hand. "I will never let you down again, Master Marik. Please forgive me. I promise to always protect you."

"So Marik devoted his life to the ancient scriptures, and I devoted my life to him," thought Odion, as the scene changed. Now little Marik was sitting at a table, reading by candle light. Odion approached him with a tray.

"Your dinner," said Odion.

"I'm not hungry," said Marik.

"But you need to eat," said Odion. "At least have some soup."

Marik turned and knocked the tray out of Odion's hands. It fell and soup splattered all over the floor. "I said I'm not hungry!" said Marik, angrily.

"What's wrong?" asked Odion.

"I'm sorry, Odion," said Marik. "Soon I'll receive the tomb keeper's initiation."

"Yes?" asked Odion, stooping to the ground to pick up the fallen bowls.

"Then it'll be my job to wait here for the Pharaoh to return," said Marik, sounding sad. "I'll be stuck down here the rest of my life." Tears welled up in his eyes. "Why did I have to be born the son of a tomb keeper?" he asked. "Once I have the initiation, there's no escaping my future. Just thinking about it terrifies me."

"Master..." said Odion.

"I know that I was born into this tradition; that it's my destiny, but why?" asked Marik, tears running down his face. "Why do I have to give up so much for this Pharaoh? It isn't fair."

"Let me do it," said Odion. "Your family saved me. Now I can repay them by saving you from a life of darkness inside the Pharaoh's tomb."

Marik looked up. "Really?" he asked.

"I would be honored. I will ask for your father's consent right now," said Odion.

The scene changed. This time, I saw something strange; something I didn't expect.

Standing in front of Odion's father was a young girl. She was dressed in white leggings, white sneakers, a gold ankle bracelet with ankh charms on it, and a large pink shirt that, in white letters, said 'Reynolds' across the front. She had big, dark green eyes, long, wavy dark hair, and an olive colored skin tone. Her eyes and the hint of smile on her lips made her look pleasant enough. Odion's father was on his knees, bowing in front of her.

It was me. I remembered the outfit. I recognized myself almost instantly. I was shocked.

"Odion cannot go through the tomb keeper's initiation, Sir," the younger me spoke, with a surprisingly strong, authoritative voice. "It is his desire, but it is Marik's destiny. Unfortunately, we are not always dealt the hand we want."

"Yes, High Priestess," said Odion's father. "It is an honor to meet you."

There was a knock on the door and Odion entered.

Odion's father stood up and my younger self turned to smile up at him.

Odion bowed and asked his question and, gruffly, his father answered. "My family's sacred duty can only be passed on to a true heir. I will not break tradition," said his father.

"I know I'm not your real son, but Master Marik is too frightened to go through with the initiation," said Odion. He looked up at us. "I can't bear to see him that way. Let me fulfill the family's destiny and protect the tomb. I'll devote my life so Master Marik can be free."

"My son will receive the initiation, as planned, and you will speak no more of this!" his father commanded.

I crouched down and took Odion's hand. "Things are as they have to be, Odion," I said, gently.

"Who are you?" he asked me.

"I am High Priestess to the Pharaoh," I said, in a steady voice.

The scene changed again.

"I'll never forget when they took Marik away," said Odion.

I walked behind the young Marik as he was dragged into a different room. I turned to give Odion a look that said I was sorry. After the initiation was complete, little me, with my pink shirt, waited in Marik's room with Odion and Ishizu while he recovered.

"My life has changed forever," said Marik, bitterly. There were bandages covering his back.

"Yes. You're a tomb keeper now," said Odion.

Marik turned and shouted, "Go!" But almost immediately, he cried out in pain and laid back down on his stomach. He propped himself up on his elbows. "I'm sorry," he said. "I feel so alone." He looked up at me, his violet eyes meeting mine. "Why should I have to pledge my life to some Pharaoh?" he asked, his voice suddenly growing darker.

"As you know, I'm forbidden to join this clan, so..." said Odion, removing the hood from over his head. There were bandages around his face.

"Go on," Marik ordered.

"So I performed my own ritual," said Odion, removing the bandages. "I hope this mark will prove my loyalty to your family, Sir." The tattoo over the left side of his face was revealed. "You're not alone."

"Ever since that day, Marik was different," Odion thought. "It was as if that initiation infused him with an evil force. Over the years, his evil side grew stronger..."

"Odion, what are you waiting for?" Marik thought, suddenly. "Finish off Joey Wheeler so we can move on to more important opponents. We must defeat Yugi and Seto Kaiba so I can win their Egyptian God Cards and obtain the power of the Pharaoh."

Surprised, I snapped out of the vision of the past. I looked at Marik. I felt like I was seeing him for the first time.

"What?" asked Marik.

"Nothing," I answered, shaking my head. But I still couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

"Come on, Joey. Don't quit now," said Tristan.

"You can do it," said Mai

"Have a nice nap?" Duke asked me.

"What?" I asked.

"Your eyes were closed," said Duke. "I tried to get your attention, but you must have fallen asleep."

"Oh," I said. "Right. Yea. A nap."

I glanced at Marik again, who was looking at me curiously.

"Were you in Odion's head?" he thought at me.

I didn't answer.

"No matter what you draw, it will never match the power of my ancient creature," said Odion.

"I'm still in this, Marik," said Joey, drawing another card. He left his fisherman in defense mode and ended his turn.

"Nothing can save you now," said Odion.

"Too bad," said Mai. "He's made some great comebacks, but I think his streak will finally end here on this blimp. He's certainly come a long way since the last time I dueled him. Oh well. He did the best that he could."

"Wait, Mai," said Yami. "Look at Joey's eyes."

We all looked.

"Your turn," said Joey. His eyes were hard and determined.

"You're right!" Mai exclaimed. "They're full of a determination that I've never seen in him before! It's like he knows he's going to win."

"Because he is going to win," I said.

"But how?" asked Mai. "I can't think of a move that can save him."

"What matters is what Joey feels in his heart, Mai," said Yami. "His determination to beat Marik is very strong, and so Joey believes he's going to win this duel even though the likelihood of his victory over Marik is very small. He vowed to help me put an end to Marik's scheme and he's keeping his promise."

"But how's Joey going to stop this guy?" asked Mai.

I heard the thought in Yami's head before he spoke and so we spoke at the same time. "If he trusts himself and the heart of the cards, he'll find a way," we spoke together.

I smiled at Yami and he smiled back, for a second.

Odion's monster destroyed Joey's legendary fisherman. Joey drew another card and passed.

"I'm not going to lose," said Joey. Everyone gasped. I smiled. "I can't explain how I know, but I've got this strange feeling that I'm gonna win this duel! It's kind of like a voice inside my head. So go ahead and take your best shot, Marik!"

"Oh, I will," said Odion. "As soon as my mystical beast attacks your life points, it's over! It's time to lose now, so say goodbye to the finals."

"Before you make your finals attack and try to win this duel, I got something I wanna say to you," said Joey. "I'll never forget when you controlled my mind and forced me to hurt my best friend in that crazy duel. You didn't have the courage to face Yugi yourself, so you made me do your dirty work while you hid like a coward."

"I'm facing you now, aren't I?" asked Odion.

"Yea," said Joey.

"And look at the score. I'm destroying you in a duel face-to-face," said Odion.

"Well, it's funny you bring that up," said Joey. "Ever since we started this duel, I've had a weird feeling about you. I can't put my finger on it, but you don't seem like the same guy who controlled my mind. That Marik was a regular slime ball. But you played a really fair duel and it was one of the toughest ones I ever fought. Just like I got a little voice deep inside me that tells me you're gonna lose, I also got a voice inside me that tells me you're not the rotten snake that took over my brain and forced me to duel Yugi. And I'm sure of it!"

My heart leapt to my throat. "He knows!" I whispered, excitedly.

"You're not Marik!" said Joey. "I always trust what I feel in my gut. And now it's telling me two things: you're not who you're pretending to be and you won't win."

Odion scowled and, beside me, I saw Marik frown.

"Nonsense!" Kaiba exclaimed. "Wheeler's insane! Of course that duelist is Marik."

"Because if Seto Kaiba thinks so, then it must be true," I sneered, sarcastically.

Kaiba glared at me.

"I tried to tell you, Yugi," I said, hoping he would put two and two together.

"I'm with Joey," Yami thought. "His opponent doesn't seem like the madman who's been trying to steal my millennium puzzle. And I don't sense the same evil around him either. But if he's not Marik, then who could he be?"

"So, where's the real snake in the grass?" asked Mai.

Yami thought for a moment. I heard my voice float through his head as he remembered what I'd said. _"Don't trust Namu. He's lying about who he is."_ Yami's eyes widened and he turned, casually to glance over his shoulder. "Could it be..?" he thought.

"If I'm exposed, my entire plan will be ruined," Marik thought. "In addition to Yugi's puzzle and Egyptian God Card, I also need Kaiba's card, obelisk the tormentor. I also need to learn Kaiba's role in this ancient struggle before my secret identity is known. I wish I could get into Olive's head, find the memories she doesn't know she still has."

"Enough of this!" said Odion, angrily. He reached behind him and took the millennium rod out of a pocket in his cape. "Only the real Marik wields the power of the millennium rod. Think of that before you listen to those senseless voices inside of you, Mister Wheeler. Now then, it's time for me to finish this duel." He drew another card.

I turned to Marik and smiled, leaning close to his ear. "A fake?" I whispered. "You just thought of everything, didn't you?"

"Don't you dare say a word," he growled.

Odion ordered his monster to attack Joey's life points and end the duel.

"This duel is over," said Yami.

"This is it, guys," said Tea.

"Wait, Odion! Stop your attack!" I heard Marik yell in Odion's head. He yelled with such force and power that I flinched as pain shot through my body for an instant.

Odion stopped the attack.

"I held back my attack as you requested, Master Marik. But why?" asked Odion.

"I want you to destroy with the Egyptian God Card," Marik ordered, a crazed sort of energy around him. "Play the winged dragon of Ra! It's the only way to convince everyone that you are me. My true identity must be kept a secret if I am to gain the power of the Pharaoh."

"But it's too dangerous," thought Odion, slightly panicked. "Please! Don't make me remove the winged dragon of Ra from the sacred arc."

"Don't make him do it, Marik," I thought, quietly.

"Play that Egyptian God Card now so that I may rule as Pharaoh!" Marik ordered.


	32. Evil Awakens

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Listen to me, Odion," Marik thought. "Ever since I can remember, you longed to be a part of my family. Well, this is your chance to finally join the tomb keeper's clan by serving me - the future Pharaoh. Now, fulfill your duty and play that Egyptian God Card."

"Yes," said Odion. "I'll be a true tomb keeper. I know the danger's are great, but I must serve my master."

"I don't get it guys. Why isn't Marik attacking Joey?" asked Tea.

"I'm not sure, but I've got a bad feeling," said Yami.

"Prepare to experience an ancient power like nothing you've ever seen before or will see again," said Odion, holding up his millennium rod. "I am Marik and I will now play my Egyptian God Card to prove it."

"Didn't see that coming," said Joey.

"Oh no!" Mai exclaimed. "Marik _is_ going to play the winged dragon of Ra."

"Now, to release my Egyptian God Monster from the arc, I will sacrifice my beast," said Odion.

"Be very careful, Joey," said Yami.

"Ancient one, here my call," said Odion, turning towards the temple, holding out his rod. The box at the top of the stairs began to glow. "I now offer up my mystical beast along with half my life points to release thee. Come forth, my winged dragon, and reveal your awesome strength in the name of the next great Pharaoh - King Marik!"

"Excellent," Marik thought.

I shuddered, but the second the card rose out of the arc and lit up the skies, I knew something was wrong.

"The third card," Yami whispered.

"The winged dragon has awakened," I heard Ishizu's voice.

"It's time. Show yourself my beast," said Odion. "Let anyone who doubts my power feel the fire of the mighty winged dragon of Ra!"

"That thing looks unstoppable," said Tristan, the wind blowing around us.

"It is," said Yami, a serious look on his face.

I shook my head, as my hair was whipped around my face. "Something's not right," I said. I looked at Marik and thought, "You can't make copies, you fool! You will anger the Gods!"

"The final Egyptian God Card," said Kaiba, smiling. "At last it is revealed."

"Behold, the strongest of all the Egyptian God Monsters!" Odion declared. "Once my monster attacks you, you'll wish you never entered this tournament! Brace yourself! You're about to lose the rest of your life points!"

"So what are you waiting for?" asked Joey. "Take your best shot!"

"Now what happens?" asked Mai, looking at Yami.

"Yea, Yugi," said Tea. "Remember how your Egyptian God Card injured Bakura? These things are dangerous."

"Well, I'm waiting," Joey taunted, cocky til the end. "Come and get me already."

"You've made our family proud today, Odion," Marik thought. "Your handling of the Egyptian God Card copy proves you are one of us once and for all. _And_ it has convinced our skeptical friends that you are Marik."

"Here it comes, guys," said Tristan.

"Poor Joey," Serenity whispered.

"Thanks, Wheeler," Kaiba thought, "for being my guinea pig. Now I'll finally get to see what Marik's Egyptian God Card can do."

"Dragon of Ra! Attack his life points directly!" Odion ordered.

I felt a shock run through the millennium items and then through my own heart as if they were all connected. The tattoo on my arm began to glow and I heard a scream escape my mouth, even though I didn't mean to. It was like I was disconnected from my body for a moment.

"What's this?" I heard Marik think.

"I sense a great disturbance," Ishizu's voice came to me as well. "Odion has angered the Gods."

Marik's deck began to glow, flickering with light. He looked at it uneasily. "What's going on? My deck is emitting a powerful aura. One of great rage," he thought.

No one was paying attention to Marik though. I stopped screaming and stumbled forward. Duke caught me before my knees hit the ground and helped me stand back up. I leaned against him, weakly, confused about what was happening.

"I'm fine," I thought.

Yami nodded. "She'll be okay," he said.

They turned back to the duel.

"Looks like your dragon's got other plans," said Joey.

"What are you doing? Attack him now!" said Odion.

"You do _not_ give orders to the Gods!" I heard myself shout, my voices layered with other voices that seemed familiar.

"Why isn't it attacking Joey?" asked Tristan.

"What's happening?" asked Tea, fearfully glancing back and forth between me and the dragon.

"Something's gone wrong," said Yami.

"It's like the card has a mind of its own," said Tristan.

"It's more than a card," said Yugi.

"Olive, are you okay?" Duke asked me.

I was shaking. I felt my body covered in a cold sweat and I shivered even though my skin felt feverish.

Slowly I nodded. "I'm...okay, Duke," I said. "Don't worry about me." I caught Kaiba's eye. He was watching me with a frown. I offered him a weak smile.

"Now what?" asked Odion, as the dragon disappeared behind black clouds.

"The winged dragon of Ra isn't working! How can this be?" asked Marik. "My rare hunters tested these card copies extensively. I know there were difficulties at first with my weaker servants, but I thought Odion could control this card."

"What's going on?" asked Joey. "And what's up with this storm? Either this is the best duel monsters hologram I've ever seen, or we better take cover!"

Lightening began to shoot at random out of the sky, hitting the dueling arena.

"The rage of my Egyptian God Card is going to strike everyone involved in this duel," Marik thought, looking worried.

"Joey!" Yami screamed over the wind.

"Get down from there!" Serenity shouted.

"Oh, my brother, what have you done?" Ishizu thought.

"Master Marik, I am not worthy enough to control this card, just as I was not worthy enough to be a part of your family," thought Odion, memories racing through his mind. "Forgive me, Master. I've failed you again." Lightening hit Odion. It ran through his body and struck the millennium rod. It shattered.

"That millennium rod was a fake!" Yami thought. "So it's true! He isn't the real Marik!"

"Odion!" Marik thought.

"I'm sorry," thought Odion. "I tried my best to serve you, my master. I tried."

I fell face down.

"Hey, are you okay?" Joey asked, running forward. Lightening struck right in front of him and Joey jumped back.

"Be careful!" Yami shouted.

Before Joey could move, another streak of lightening struck him and Joey fell to the ground as well.

Serenity gasped. "Joey!"

Tristan tried to climb onto the arena. "Joey are you okay?"

"Get down!" said the referee. "There's a duel in progress."

"Can't you see both duelists are out cold?" Tristan demanded.

"Even so," said the ref, "both duelists still have two hundred life points remaining. According to Battle City rules, this duel is still in progress. Now get off the playing field!"

"Forget about the rules, you suit! My friend needs help right away," said Tristan.

"Enough!" Kaiba demanded. "I don't know where that lightening came from, but it had nothing to do with the Kaiba Corporation Duel Disk System. Whatever it may have seemed to be, this lightening storm is a freak act of nature and nothing more."

"Who cares what it was? Just end this duel now!" said Mai.

"Should I declare the duel a double forfeit and disqualify them both?" asked the referee.

"Not yet. Since the duelists are tied with five hundred points each, we'll give them five minutes," said Kaiba. "Whichever duelist gets to his feet first will be declared the winner and continue on in the finals."

"Kaiba!" Yami cried angrily. "That's ridiculous!"

"Come on, Joey! Get up!" called Mai.

"Joey, snap out of it!" shouted Tea.

I turned my head to look at Marik. He had moved a few feet away from us and was holding his head. He was breathing hard as if he were in pain.

"Master Marik..." thought Odion weakly.

"Marik has angered the Gods," thought Ishizu. "Now everyone on board this ship is in danger."

"We're here for you, Joey!" said Tristan.

"Come on, big brother!" said Serenity.

"Stand up now, Joey," said Mai. "I know you've got what it takes to beat this joker!"

"They each have three more minutes," said the ref. "Once that time elapses, both duelists will be immediately disqualified from the Battle City Finals."

"My necklace tells me that the evil within Marik may grow stronger," Ishizu thought. "I'll never forget the day Marik received the tomb keeper's initiation. It was a day that would change all of us forever, for in that initiation, a great evil awoke in my brother. Now that Odion is unable to protect him, that evil presence will increase in power."

The memory of Odion revealing his tattoo flooded back in my mind.

"Odion dedicated his life to protecting my little brother. He must have contained the evil within Marik as best he could," Ishizu thought. "I know the good side of Marik exists and I must find a way to bring it out, but with Odion unconscious, things will only get worse."

"I must get up," I heard Odion think, as Marik moaned in pain, still clutching his head. "It's my duty to protect Marik." Odion pushed himself up and struggled to get to his knees.

"No way!" Tea cried.

"That's not good," said Mai.

"Joey!" Tea shouted.

"I won't disappoint you again, Master Marik," Odion thought.

"It looks like we have our winner," said Kaiba.

"And the winner is..." the ref began.

Odion tried to stand and fell back to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Sir," said Odion.

"You can still win, Joey!" said Yami.

"Please, get up, big brother!" Serenity begged.

"Joey!" Tea and Mai shouted at the same time.

"If neither duelist gets to his feet in the next two minutes, both will be disqualified," said the ref.

"Come on, Joey! You gotta get up!" Tea shouted.

I pulled myself away from Duke and sat down. I closed my eyes.

"Help me," I heard Marik think and I knew that I could. I knew that I probably should, but I didn't.

"Yami, I need Yugi. Help me..." I thought, before my mind was pulled somewhere else.

For a second, I thought there would be some sort of explosion, but all of the sudden everything was calm. Everybody's voices faded away. I was sitting in a room of nothing but white smoke. Everything was deadly silent. I stood and took a deep breath. Focusing, I formed my lips into an 'o' shape and let out my breath slowly. The smoke faded away and I was standing in a classroom at our school.

Joey was sleeping on his desk.

Desperately, I hoped Yami would help me somehow. I wasn't sure was I was doing, but it felt familiar. Another blink, and then...all my friends were standing around me, looking down at Joey with me. Tristan, Serenity, Duke, Tea, Yugi, Bakura, and Mai were all there. I sighed in relief.

"Joey. Earth to Joey," said Tea.

Duke flipped a dice at him. "Wake up," he said.

A bell rang and Joey slowly lifted his head and looked at us.

"Wake up, sleepy head. This is no time for a nap," said Tea.

"Sorry. I'm feeling kind of lazy," said Joey.

"Well, snap out of it and start showing some life," said Tristan.

"Come on, Joey. This is a big deal, so get your butt in gear!" said Tea, sounding like a sports coach.

"She's right, Joey, time is running out!" said Yugi.

"For what?" asked Joey.

"Don't you know? This is your dream," said Yugi. "Today's the most important duel of your entire life."

"Remember when you said, 'I'll show em all that Joey Wheeler's no amateur'?" asked Tea, mimicking Joey's voice.

"Sounds like me," said Joey. "But I'm really drawing a blank, Tea."

I handed him his backpack and he looked up at me, confused. I just smiled, but I didn't say anything, even though a million things were running through my head.

"Maybe preparing your deck will help ring a bell," said Tristan.

Joey dumped out his cards. They fell on the desk and started to fall on the floor. Joey leapt forward to catch them and ended up knocking the desk over. He fell over the front of it and I stepped backwards.

"Joey, will you get serious?" asked Tea, rolling her eyes.

"Let's put together the best dueling deck from this mess and then head out," said Yugi. Everyone crouched down and began going through the cards.

"Let's just hope you're a little less scatterbrained when the competition begins," said Tea.

"Thanks," said Joey.

"Just give it up, Wheeler," said Kaiba, from the other side of the classroom.

I frowned waved my hand. He walked away and vanished.

"Don't waste your energy on that loser," said Tristan.

"Tristan's right. You have more important things to worry about," said Yugi.

"Like my deck," said Joey. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Yugi. "I've got a list of all my best cards written down right here," he said.

Yugi looked at it, confused.

Joey looked up at Serenity and Mai as if seeing them for the first time. "Serenity! Mai!" he said. "What are you guys doing here at our school?"

"You're dreaming, remember?" asked Mai. "Dreams don't have to make sense."

"Today's you're big day, Joey," said Serenity. "We had to be here."

"Aww, thanks guys," said Joey.

Tristan put his arm around Joey's shoulders and said, "Hey you got a sec? Come here."

I followed them and held out the list that Joey had given Yugi. "Slight problem," I said. "It's blank."

"Huh? This dream just gets weirder and weirder!" said Joey. "It's almost as nuts as that nightmare I had about the monkey and that bowl of vanilla pudding. Thank goodness that I'm not in this thing by myself."

"Why, dude?" asked Tristan.

"If you guys weren't here, I'd be clueless," said Joey.

I smiled. "What are friends for?" I asked.

"I'm lucky," said Joey. "You guys are the best buds anyone could ever have." He turned to look back at the others. "I've done some dumb things before, but you guys have always stood behind me no matter what. I won't forget that."

"Thanks, Joey," said Tristan.

"We're finished!" said Yugi. "You'll be hard to beat with this deck."

"No doubt," Duke agreed.

"Awesome, lemme check them out," said Joey.

"Here," said Yugi.

"Thanks," said Joey, taking his deck. "With your support, there's no way I'm gonna lose this duel."

I stood up and touched Yugi's shoulder. "It's time to go," I said, with a final smile for Joey.

"Come on, let's get out of here, Joey," said Tristan.

Mai stopped and glanced back to Joey.

"Thing is, I would, but I don't have enough strength to stand up," said Joey. "A little help, guys?"

"Are you sure you're not trying to get out of the duel?" asked Tea.

"No way," said Mai. "Now stop joking and come on."

"I'm serious," said Joey. "I need a hand here."

I smiled as everyone held out their hand to him. I held my hand out as well.

"You guys are the best friends I ever had. Thank you," said Joey. We all took his hand or wrist and helped pull him to his feet.

"Come on, Joey," said Yugi. "You got a duel to win."

I let out another slow breath and felt myself fade into the white smoke. I opened my eyes and stood up. The smoke faded and I was standing beside my friends once again. Up on the arena, Joey was on his feet.

"Hey look!" said Yami.

"He's up!" said Mai.

"You did it," Yami smiled.

"This means you win the duel!" cheered Serenity.

"Hey, guys. I'm lost," said Joey, looking around. "Could you fill me in, please?"

"You're dueling in the finals," said Tea.

"And you scared us, you dope. Don't ever do that again!" said Mai.

"I'm sorry," said Joey. He looked over at Odion, who was still passed out. "Oh yea," he said. "I remember. His card went nuts and that's the last thing I remember."

"And so the winner of this duel is Joey Wheeler!" declared the ref.

"So I won?" asked Joey.

"Yes you did!" said Yami.

"I knew you would!' said Serenity, grinning.

"Alright!" Tristan cheered, jumping up on the arena. He put his arm around Joey's shoulders. "Who's my main man?" he asked.

"Wait," said Joey, walking over to Odion. "I think that guy's still hurt."

"Looks like Wheeler's dumb luck saved him again," Kaiba thought. "And I emphasize dumb. But what happened to Marik's Egyptian God Card? Why didn't it attack? I know there wasn't a glitch in his duel disk because I spared no expense to make sure that equipment is problem free. That card should have worked...unless. His card was a fake."

"Come on, man," said Joey, shaking Odion gently. "Wake up."

Odion opened his eyes. "Please forgive me, Joey," said Odion, weakly. "I'm sorry. It was an honor for me to duel with you."

"Well, same to you," said Joey. "And thanks for that lightning bolt. I won't forget this duel for a long time. But now that it's done, you've gotta come clean. If you're not Marik, then who are you, pal?"

"I am only a servant of the real Master Marik," said Odion, motioning to Marik.

"That's Marik?" Yami and Joey exclaimed together.

Marik was still clutching his head, moaning in pain. The millennium rod was in his hand.

"It's that rod!" Tea exclaimed. "It looks just like the one that other guy had."

"Admit your true identity, Marik!" Yami ordered.

"Yes, it's true," said Marik, turning towards us. "I'm just surprised you fools didn't realize it sooner, especially with your Priestess trying to warn you, Pharaoh. I am indeed the real Marik."

"So Namu lied to us all along?" asked Tea.

"Namu?" Marik asked, rolling his eyes. "He was a disguise to get me closer to Yugi."

"You little worm," Joey sneered.

"He's the one who brain washed you," said Yami.

Marik laughed. "So, Pharaoh, we finally meet face-to-face. Now at last I can finish the job my pathetic servants couldn't. Your puzzle and power will soon be where they belong." His voice grew dark for a moment and Marik let out a cry.

"Oh no!" said Odion. "I was afraid of this! We are all in grave danger. Beware the darkness hidden within."

"What are you talking about?" asked Joey.

"Master Marik has a darker side," said Odion. "I am unable to contain it anymore. It's too late now."

"What's too late?" asked Joey.

Marik let out a cry. "Let me out, you can't restrain me anymore," I heard his darker side think. The voice made my body buzz with power.

"I'm going to file this under the category of 'not good'," said Joey.

When Marik looked back at us, the eye symbol was glowing on his forehead. There was a crazed look in his eyes and his voice had grown deeper and darker. "I am free at last," he said. "Now I can do things my way. I was restrained by that fool, Odion."

Yami stood. I was standing in between them. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm the true Marik and I'm not as kind as the one you've come to know," said Marik, "and soon I'll finish the job he couldn't complete and strip you of your powers. For I deserve to be Pharaoh. Not you. So get ready for the real battle. When I'm through with you, your puzzle will be around my neck where it belongs. And you will be trapped forever in the realm of eternal darkness along with your friends and Odion as well. Olive, your High Priestess, will be forced to serve me once the power of the Pharaoh is mine."

I shook my head.

"Hey, pal. Get a life," said Joey.

"You fool. Thanks to Odion's failure, I now have a life," said Marik. "Of course, by failing Odion did prove one thing. Only a chosen few can control the Egyptian God Cards. Kaiba, you're one of them."

Kaiba gave a little laugh of derision. "Marik, I'm sick and tired of hearing these Egyptian fairytales. I control obelisk the tormentor because I am a master duelist," he said.

"Ha!" said Marik. "Don't deny your ancient past. You'll find you can't deny your five thousand year old memories. You'll learn in good time, Kaiba. Even Olive, whose memories are trapped, is getting them back. Your role in this game runs much deeper than you can imagine. However, that won't matter once I take over." He turned to Yami. "Yugi! The battle for the Pharaoh's power will begin right now - a battle five thousand years in the making and there's no turning back." He laughed. "The great Egyptian God Monsters will serve and protect me while I rule the earth as the new Pharaoh."


	33. Duel: Marik vs Mai

Chapter Thirty-Three

In Odion's room, a doctor was checking everything. "So far Odion's heart rate is fine," said the doctor. "His tests came back fine, but all the mental stress he's gone through has left him unconscious."

"I could use a nap too," said Joey.

"The doctor means he's been knocked out, Joey," said Tea. "You're really luck you're not in the same state."

"You've got a point there," said Joey. "I mean, he and I were both standing right there when his Egyptian God Card went crazy, but I'm perfectly fine."

"Aside from the brain damage you had going into it," said Tristan.

"Watch it!" said Joey.

"I guess that means we're not going to find out who this guy is until he's able to wake up," said Duke.

"That's right," said Yami.

"His name is Odion," I said, studying his tattoos. I couldn't read hieroglyphs too well, just things I picked up last summer, but as I watched them, they seemed to translate automatically in my head. "He was determined to protect Marik," I explained.

"How do you know that?" asked Duke.

I shrugged, not wanting to get into the seeing visions and reading minds thing. "I just know things sometimes," I said.

"So much that got him," said Joey. "He's lying in a hospital bed and Marik could care less if he ever wakes up. That creep is as nasty as they get."

"What did you expect Marik to do, send flowers?" asked Mai. "Poor Odion. It's times when you're down that you need friends around the most."

Joey looked at her. "You guys, I figured it all out! I know how I was able to get to my feet and win the duel!" Joey exclaimed. "It's because you helped me. See, I had this dream and it reminded me that my friends were rooting for me all the way. It was like you were all on the field with me, you know? Having you guys there gave me the strength to get back up and win."

"Wow, that dreams almost as touching as that one where you were making vanilla pudding with that monkey," Tristan teased.

"Hey, that was a secret!" said Joey.

"Hey guys isn't it time for Kaiba to pick the next two duelists in the finals?" asked Tristan.

"Unfortunately," I said, rolling my eyes. "Figures we don't get to take a nap."

"Are you tired?" Yami asked me.

I smiled a little. "Of course," I said. "It's been a long night."

"Come on, Yugi," said Joey.

"I wonder who's going to duel next," said Tristan.

As we left the room, Mai touched Joey's shoulder and I stopped with Tea to listen.

"Hey, Joey," she said. "About that dream of yours..."

"Which one, Mai?" asked Joey.

"The one without the monkey," said Mai. "I was in it, wasn't I?"

"Um..." said Joey.

"You know, to help you up," said Mai.

"Um..." said Joey. "Actually, you weren't, Mai. Definitely not. Sorry, maybe next time, though most of my dreams are very manly...driving cars, fixing stuff...um... So, I'll see you later, okay, bye." Joey raced out of the room.

"He's such a liar," I told Tea.

"Typical guy," she said, grimacing.

She ran after him and I followed. Tea caught up to him and grabbed him by the ear. "Why are you so mean?" she demanded.

"You're the one grabbing ears!" Joey shot back.

"Mai wanted to feel like your friend, but you were too immature to let her!" said Tea. "Next time, GROW UP!" she stomped away.

I laughed. "That was really rude, Joey," I said. "And I know Mai was in your dream."

"How do you know?" he asked.

I smiled. "The same reason I know that list of your best cards was blank," I said. I shrugged and followed Tea to the main concourse.

"Attention," said the suit, the same guy who was the referee. "It's time to choose the two duelists for the third match of the Battle City Finals." The selector started, the balls bouncing around. "The first duelist is...number four, Mai Valentine."

"Alright, way to go!" said Joey.

Mai ignored him.

"Let's see who Mai is dueling and then it's go time," said Mokuba, excitedly.

"Later guys," said Mai.

"Don't you wanna see who you're up against?" asked Joey.

"Oh, like it really makes a difference. I'll win no matter who it is," Mai snapped. "As for you fellas, I'll be seeing one of you in the final match."

"But Mai..." said Yugi.

"We'll be there rooting for you," said Joey.

"Don't bother," said Mai.

"But why not?" asked Tea.

"Because Joey's a jerk," I said.

"I don't need you guys cheering for me to win," said Mai. "Believe it or not, I was a good duelist before I knew you, and quite frankly certain blond-haired knuckleheads in your group are starting to get on my nerves."

"Me?" asked Joey.

"That's right, Joey. It's perfectly clear that you don't consider me a friend and I don't consider you one, so let's just leave it at that, monkey boy," Mai snapped.

"That is completely untrue!" Joey argued. "And I'm no monkey boy!"

"Relax, Joey," said Serenity.

"Later. I'm out of here," said Mai, leaving the room.

"Girls," said Joey, annoyed.

"Excuse me?" Tea and I said at the same time.

"You all know you're moody little teases," said Joey.

Kaiba tried to hide a smile while Duke and Tristan laughed.

"You're a jerk, Joey," said Tea. "Mai is only mad because you were rude to her."

"Since when am I moody?" I asked.

"Since always," said Duke, Joey, and Kaiba all at the same time.

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe you are all too sensitive. I'm going to see if Mai is okay!" I ran after her.

When I couldn't find her, I waited by the elevator for everyone else. I glared pointedly at Duke and Joey and went to stand by Tea and Serenity.

"I don't think you're moody, I think you're awesome," Mokuba told me.

"Thanks, Mokuba," I said. "You're gonna get all the girls, you little charmer."

Mokuba smiled in the mischievous way that he always did before he said something extremely awkward. "I wish you and Seto had stayed together," he said. "Then you would be like my sister."

My face turned red and I chanced a glance at Kaiba before looking away. He looked equally embarrassed.

"I'm never dating again," I told Mokuba. "Sorry, kid."

"Why not?" he asked.

I sighed. "Well, my first boyfriend was an arrogant prick, my summer love turned out to be a psycho who could control people's minds, and my...Bakura..." I trailed off. "Well everyone saw Bakura go nuts. I have bad luck with guys."

"I'm not crazy or possessed," said Duke.

I smirked. "But you _are_ a tiny bit arrogant," I said.

"Don't pretend you don't like it, Olive," said Kaiba.

Before I could respond, the elevator reached the arena and we all hurried out of the elevator. Mai was already on the dueling platform, her duel disk on and her deck ready.

"Where's Marik? The announcement was broadcast in every room!" said Kaiba.

"Maybe he chickened out," said Mai.

The elevator doors opened

"Or maybe not," said Kaiba as Marik walked out.

Marik laughed.

"Well, speak of the devil," I said.

He looked at me and smiled. "You've switched sides so many times before, Priestess," he said. "You'll be calling someone else the devil next week."

I shook my head to shake the dark feeling I got just looking at him. I knew from my dreams I could be swayed to either side easily and that, unless I kept my focus, I couldn't be trusted. The last thing I needed was for Marik to get into my head.

"It's about time," said Mai.

"This won't take long," said Marik. "Prepare to be cast into the shadows."

The field was elevated and the life points were set.

"Let's go," said Mai. "I'm ready to show you what real dueling is all about."

"Good luck," said Marik, sarcastically.

"Thank you," said Mai. "Now, ladies first." She drew her first hand. "Not too bad," she said. "I play my dark witch in attack mode. Take it away, sweetheart."

Marik drew his first hand. He played revival jam in defense mode and the magic card jam breeding machine.

"He used this strategy against you, Yami," I said quietly.

Yami nodded. "He used these same plasma monsters against me. It can only mean one thing...I must warn Mai," he said.

"My move now," said Mai.

"Mai, wait..." Yami interrupted.

"Yugi, I thought I made myself clear that I was doing this on my own," said Mai.

"But, this is..." I began.

"No. You guys don't. Just mind your own business," said Mai. "Are we clear?"

"I guess so," said Tea, quietly.

"Do it yourself, eh?" asked Marik. "Those are brave words from someone with no idea what they're up against."

"Oh, clamp it," Mai snapped. "I know exactly what I'm up against and exactly what I'm gonna do to beat you as well."

"Then why do I see such fear in your eyes?" asked Marik. "Our battle has only just begun and already you doubt yourself."

"You are wrong again," said Mai. "Now, my dark witch, attack his revival jam."

The revival jam was hit, but it regenerated itself.

"I had no idea," said Mai.

"That doesn't surprise me," said Marik. "Maybe you do need help." He played pot of greed and drew two cards from his deck. "Have your realized this duel is far more than you can handle?" he asked. He played a card face down.

"This is just what Marik did to you," I said, quietly to Yami, frowning.

"Alright, tough guy, check it out," said Mai. She played harpy's feather duster, which blew away Marik's trap and magic cards. She attacked again with her dark witch and Marik lost life points.

"Keep it up, Mai!" Joey cheered.

"To complete my turn, I'll placed one card face down, and that'll do it," said Mai.

"Very well," said Marik. He summoned a four-faced beast and sacrificed both monsters to summon a masked beast. He used the monster to attack her dark witch, but Mai played d the trap card mirror wall. It cut his monster in half. Then she used her witch to destroy the monster. But a mask covered her witch's face. Marik had gained control of her. Then he used remove trap to get rid of mirror wall.

"Aw, man," said Tristan. "It looks like Mai's in some real trouble out there. She better come up with something before Marik unleashes that Egyptian God Card."

"Hey, she's doing just fine, okay," Joey jumped to Mai's defense. "I mean, take a look at the score board. She's winning this whole thing."

"Okay, you might have gotten a few lucky shots, but things are about to change," said Mai.

"Indeed," said Marik, grinning. "Much more than you know."

"What does that mean?" asked Joey. "And what's up with that creepy smile Marik's wearing all of the sudden? Mai, something's not right..."

"I said I don't need your help!" Mai snapped.

"Well, excuse me. Then I won't help," said Joey.

"Oh yes you will," I heard Marik think. "You'll help me. All of you will, you just don't know it yet."

Marik reached into his robes and pulled out his millennium rod. He pointed it at Mai and I felt the unmistakable feeling of power radiating from it. It was strange to see the millennium items because, although they usually sent spasms of pain through my head, they also felt so familiar and so connected to me somehow. It was almost as if they were long lost friends, in a strange way. "Now, listen to me, foolish girl," Marik said to Mai. "I'm afraid that practice time is over so I'd like to take this match to the true home of duel monsters - the shadow realm!"

"I beg your pardon?" asked Mai.

"Oh no!" Yami exclaimed.

"Oh yes!" said Marik. "Let the shadow game begin!"

I let out a shaky breath and grabbed Duke's hand as shadows darker than the night raced across the sky. From somewhere deep inside my soul, a burst of uneasiness, recognition, power, and darkness flooded through me. I had walked into the shadow realm before, I had walked out of the shadow realm before, but never had someone pulled me into the shadow realm willingly, knowing what was happening. I could feel power inside my entire body, tingling through my blood. My brain, my fingertips, my toes, each individual strand of my hair...every part of me was buzzing with an almost electric feeling. I could see the tattoo on my arm glowing, while the bracelet around my ankle that was under my jeans burned into my skin. Even the part of my stomach where Bakura had laid on top of me and let the millennium ring touch my skin was now burning. I felt like I'd been thrown back into one of my dreams. Memories that I didn't remember raced through my mind, but they were gone before I had a chance to remember them. When I inhaled, I felt like I was breathing fresh air for the first time.

Marik smiled down at me. "The pretty little Priestess likes the power, doesn't she? Your soul recognizes this place, everything that you are recognizes this place. How does it feel to be back here?" he asked me.

"Electrifying," I answered, smiling, in a voice that sounded normal but different at the same time.

"Excellent," said Marik, returning my smile.

"This isn't part of the game! What have you done, Marik?" I heard Mai ask. At first she sounded far away, but by the last word, she sounded normal. I could hear the panic in her voice.

"Welcome to the hoard of darkness," said Marik.

"It's just as I feared," said Yami. "Marik has summoned the evil powers of the shadow realm."

"Of the shadow what? It just looks like we flew into a fog," said Duke.

I tightened my grip on his hand and pulled him closer to me, smiling up at him. "I can make this place anything you want," I purred.

He looked surprised.

"This is no ordinary fog," Tea interrupted. For some reason my senses felt heightened. When Tea spoke, I could _feel_ her voice in my body. I couldn't ignore her. "I remember this place," said Tea.

"So they've experienced the dangers of this realm before," Marik thought. "Well this time there will be no escaping."

Before I could stop myself, I threw my head back and laughed. When I looked back at Marik, I could feel the eye glowing on my arm. "You forget that you dragged another being who can control the shadows in here with you, Marik," I said, smiling. "If I were you, I wouldn't try to keep anyone here." I lowered my voice, dangerously. "Unless you'd like to match your powers against mine. If you know anything about me, then you know you'll lose."

"Marik! End this now!" Yami shouted.

"Never!" said Marik. "The shadows are hungry and they will be fed. Your pretty Priestess can only control so much while she is bound to serve you, Pharaoh."

I laughed. "I am not bound to serve anyone, Marik," I said. "I am a free spirit. I wasn't born from light and dark, I was born from sheer power." And I knew that he knew I was speaking the truth because I could feel the power in every word I spoke. It was like being on drugs.

"Mai, this duel must end now!" Yami yelled. "There's more at stake that you know! Forfeit the match!"

"Yugi, have you completely lost it?" asked Mai. "I've worked hard for this. It'll take a lot more than some creepy fog to scare me off, so if you'll excuse me, I've got a duel to win."

"Mai..." said Yami.

"Listen, Yugi, Joey, everyone, I appreciate your concerns, but my mind's made up. I'm going to stay in this duel and nothing can change that," said Mai.

"You can't stop her," I said to Yami.

"Thank you, Olive," said Mai.

I nodded my head, smiling a little. "My pleasure," I said. "Just be careful."

"Well then, that's that," said Joey. "If there's one thing about Mai, once the girl makes up her mind, there's no way to unmake it."

"That's true," Yami admitted.

"This time, it may cost her big," I said, nonchalantly. As normal as it felt to speak and feel the way I was right now, something in the back of my mind told me that I was not acting like myself. I ignored it.

"You ready, Marik?" asked Mai.

"I'm always ready for a shadow game," said Marik.

"Alright," said Mai, drawing a card. She placed a card face down and summoned a card called unfriendly Amazon. It began to glow. "Why is she glowing?" asked Mai.

"Confused?" asked Marik. "Allow me to explain. The energy that surrounds your Amazon is a symbol of you, or your mind to be more precise. If it goes out, so will a portion of your mind. This is the nature of the shadow realm. Don't worry, you'll understand it much better once you've experienced my dark magic first hand. Oh, how I love watching someone feel these shadow powers for the first time."

I laughed and clapped my hands like an excited child. I stopped almost immediately.

"What is wrong with me?" I wondered.

"I have studied you for years," Marik thought, tilting his head, observing me. "It's interesting to see how inclined towards the Pharaoh you are in this lifetime, but it is beautiful to see your dark roots showing through."

Mai attacked the dark witch and Marik's life points were lowered. But since the dark witch was Mai's monster, part of her memory was destroyed too.

"That psycho's gotta be out of his mind," said Joey.

"Let's see who's first," said Marik. A card appeared in midair and began to spin. It stopped and revealed a picture of Tea.

"Not Tea," said Mai. "That's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible in the shadow realm," I said, at the same time as Marik.

"Why do you think I brought you here, my dear?" Marik continued, while I clapped my hands over my mouth. "I am controlling this kingdom of blackness. By the time I'm through, you'll be a mindless shell in a world of strangers. Can you feel them fading away?"

"No, this can't be!" Mai cried. She glanced down at us, but I could tell that Tea was disappearing before her eyes.

"Feeling light headed?" asked Marik.

"Mai looks like she's in a major daze," said Tristan.

Tea began to shout encouragement to Mai.

"What's wrong?" asked Tea. "She's not answering me."

"She can barely hear you," I said. "She can't see you. She doesn't even know what's going on, Tea."

Marik strengthened his monster and attacked Mai, but she activated a trap card. His monster's attack power was reduced. Mai attacked instead.

"Maybe that will erase someone from your mind," said Mai.

"Thank you," said Marik. "There's no one in my mind worth remembering."

Marik's monster's special ability allowed him to bring a monster back from the graveyard. Now his monster was strong enough to destroy Mai's monster. This time the memory that was destroyed was her memory of Joey.

"No! Joey!" she cried. "Please don't go! I feel so alone," she whispered. Her voice faded into thoughts. "It's nothing new. Just how it was when I was a kid. I was all alone. Always moving, my parents had no time for me. Even when I got my first job and discovered duel monsters, I was still a lonely kid. I decided I was pretty much just meant to be alone. Until that day on the boat to Duelist Kingdom." In her memory, I saw her approaching Joey, Yugi, and me on the boat to Duelist Kingdom. It was a day before everything got too crazy. "As soon as I saw those guys, I felt something I'd never felt before. Friendship. The more I hung out with them, the more I began to like them. Sure they were a little weird at times, but they were nice weirdos and soon my loneliness was gone. But now I'm losing the only real friends I had."

"I'm just a lonely kid again," she whispered out loud.

"Say goodbye!" said Marik. "Joey's gone forever!"

Mai fell to her knees.

"Mai! You okay?" asked Joey. "Ground control to Mai? Come in, Mai. Geeze, first she ignores Tea and now she's ignoring me?"

"She's not ignoring you, Joey," said Yami. "This shadow game has made her forget who you are."

"Forget who I am? We'll see about that!" Joey gasped.

I smirked at him. "Maybe you should have been nicer when you had the chance, huh?" I said, my tone almost teasing. Immediately, I realized what a terrible thing that was to say and I shook my head. I ran my fingers through my hair and frowned.

"Olive," said Yami. He held out his hand. "You need to stick with me."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, frowning, inexplicably hesitant to touch him.

"Olive, take my hand," said Yami. "I am your Pharaoh, remember. Don't get swallowed by your past memories or powers. You swore you would help and guide me. Now take my hand."

Slowly, I reached out and took Yami's hand. Instantly, I felt my mind snap back to normal. I didn't feel spiteful or careless about what was happening anymore. I felt ashamed about the taunting things I'd been saying.

"Thank you, Yami," I whispered.


	34. Duel: Marik vs Mai Part 2

Chapter Thirty-Four

The duel continued and while Yami fought to help Mai, I just fought to stay out of the darkness. I focused my mind on other things, like Yami and the things Ishizu had told me. I thought of Bakura.

"I'm going into her mind," I heard Yami think. "If Marik's going to use shadow powers to hurt Mai, then I'm going to use them to help her." I was dragged with him into Mai's mind, which had grown dark. As Yami entered, a beam of light seemed to cut through the darkness.

"You're not alone, Mai," said Yami. "Listen to me, Mai. Don't let Marik's illusions distract you. The world you're in right now is making this seem real, but it's only an illusion. Win this match and you'll shed light on the truth and return to life as you knew it."

"But, Yugi..." Mai began.

"What is it?" asked Yami.

"I don't know if I can. I feel so empty inside," said Mai. "I'm all alone. I have nothing left."

"Listen, Mai," said Yami. "Even the voices you don't recognize are there. They stand by your side. They are your friends who love and support you. You can rest assure that no matter how dark it seems in these shadows, they are always there."

"Okay," said Mai, quietly and we left her mind, although it was just as dark in reality.

"How dare he intrude on my shadow game?" I heard Marik think, furiously. "He'll pay for that!"

"Is the danger perhaps a little too real for you?" Marik asked Mai.

"Not even close," said Mai with a renewed determination. "Your head games don't scare me, sweetheart."

"Suit yourself," said Marik. "Just realize that when I'm through with you, your brain will be nothing but an empty shell."

"Bring it on, Marik," said Mai. "I've never backed out of a duel and I won't start now."

Marik smiled a little. "Then prepare to lose your mind," he said.

Mai played a monster called Amazon Chain Master in attack mode. She played another card face down and ended her turn. Marik taunted her about the weakness of her card, but Mai still looked determined. Marik played a monster called holding arms. It was only five hundred attack points, but it was still able to stop Mai's monster from attacking for three turns. It was a golden rod with two cuffs on either end. The cuffs locked around Mai's monster's arms and held her up in the air, helpless.

Marik began to laugh.

"Freak," Mai muttered.

"I hope Mai doesn't let Marik get to her," Yugi thought, watching the duel from inside his own mind. "If she loses this shadow game to Marik, her mind may never recover."

"It has to be okay," I whispered.

"Marik, forget these mind games and just duel!" said Yami.

"These games are how I duel. You see, Yugi, duel monsters and the shadow realm are intertwined, so I'm simply playing the game as it was originally intended," said Marik. "I'm surprised you and Olive don't know that already. It was so much a part of your lives. How sad it must be to have no memory of your past. Unfortunately for Mai, she was selected to be the victim of today's game."

"You're insane," I sneered.

"Oh, really?" asked Marik. "Why is that? Because I duel with ancient magic? Olive, you're the last person who should make any accusations. And last I checked, so does the Pharaoh, by tapping into the powers of the millennium puzzle."

"Yes, but I don't do it to spread evil," said Yami.

"Hey, Yugi, Olive," said Mai. "I appreciate you trying to help and all, but I'm the one dueling here. So please trust me. I can defend myself from now on."

"Yugi, you're not just gonna stand here and let her keep dueling, are you?" Joey demanded, grabbing Yami by the shoulders so forcefully that our hands broke apart.

Marik smiled at me. "Can you handle the shadow realm without your precious Pharaoh to hold your hand?" he asked.

I clenched my fists and glared at him.

"Mai has made her choice," Yami told Joey.

"I hope it's the right one," said Joey, worried.

"My move," said Mai, confidently. She activated a face down card called grave arm and used it to send her Amazon to the graveyard. Since she was destroying her own monster, her memory wouldn't be destroyed. Before her Amazon went to the graveyard, it's special effect was activated. Mai was able to take a card from Marik's deck. She chose the Egyptian God Card, the Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Great!" said Yami.

"Yea! Way to go, Mai!" Joey cheered.

I couldn't explain why, but I frowned, uneasily. Something didn't seem right.

"Awesome!" Joey said.

"You don't look so tough without your Egyptian God card, Marik," Mai taunted. "Too bad."

Marik smiled. "You may possess the winged dragon now, but the only way for you to keep it is by defeating me," he said.

"Don't worry, I plan to," said Mai. "I just thought I'd take it for a little test drive first."

"Interesting turn of events," Kaiba commented.

"It's my move," said Mai.

Mai summoned another Amazon, an Amazon fighter, and Marik attacked. Mai activated a magic card to give her monster more attack points than Marik's monster. She attacked and another one of Marik's minions was erased from his memory. But he didn't care. Marik activated a trap card, which allowed Marik to draw five new cards. His monster's special ability was activated as well. He played a trap card called nightmare wheel and Mai's Amazon was trapped by it.

"I was expecting something I couldn't handle," said Mai, playing a trap card called rescue operation. Her monster was rescued and she was able to summon another monster to the field. Her Amazon fighter was returned to her hand. Mai played her cyber harpy.

Joey cheered for her.

Mai drew another card and smiled. It was a magic card called graceful charity and would allow her to draw three new cards. She played a magic card called elegant egotist that turned her one harpy lady into three. She then sacrificed the three of them to summon the winged dragon of Ra. But while everyone watched, expectantly, I felt myself smile a little bit. I knew it wasn't going to work.

"Such a fool," Marik thought. "Does she really think she can control an Egyptian God?"

The field lit up.

"Don't take this too seriously," I commented. "It is a game after all."

Kaiba glared at me.

"Don't get too excited, Kaiba," I teased. "It's just a duel monster after all. No need for an orgasm or anything."

"With you this close? Not possible," Kaiba snapped.

I smirked. "I don't seem to recall you always feeling that way," I said.

Instead of an Egyptian God appearing, there was a golden sphere floating in the sky. The winged dragon was locked inside.

"Good luck using it against me," said Marik.

"That's the winged dragon of Ra?" Mai asked, confused.

"Somehow, the dragon is locked inside," said Yami.

"Well Mai better set it free," said Joey. "And fast."

"Only I know how to unlock the power of the dragon of Ra," said Marik, smugly. He glanced at me and laughed. "Olive could help you if she remembered who she was. I told you this wasn't a mere duel, my dear Mai. We're playing a shadow game with ancient magic beyond your understanding. Not only am I erasing your memory with every monster I destroy, but once you lose this battle to me, your mind will be trapped here - confined in isolation for eternity."

"We can't let this nut win!" Joey cried out.

I saw Kaiba smile.

"As for my Egyptian God card, you were a fool to think you could use it," Marik continued. "Only those with knowledge of the ancient scriptures know how to wield it."

"Give me a break!" said Mai. "You're just jealous because you lost your Egyptian God card to a better duelist and I'm going to use it to knock you out of the finals, bud. Your winged dragon answers to me now."

Marik smiled, darkly. "Then why don't you try reading the ancient text written on the bottom of the card?" he asked.

"What's that?" asked Mai.

"That is the ancient chant used to unlock the powers of the dragon of Ra," said Marik. "Why don't you try reading it? Or perhaps you're in need of a lesson in the ancient scriptures?"

Mai looked panicked.

"Or," said Marik, "_I_ can recite the chant and regain control of my dragon."

"Hey, Seto, what do you think it says?" asked Mokuba.

"Let's see," said Kaiba. "Have our satellite camera photograph the card and use the onboard network to translate it now."

"I'm on it," said Mokuba, walking away.

"Stare at that card all you want, you'll never decipher the ancient words printed upon it," said Marik. "It's written in a special form of hieroglyphic script used only by high ranking individuals in Egypt and I doubt you fit that category. However, my family does. They guard the Pharaoh's tomb." Marik smirked. "I bet Kaiba could read it," he said. "And I know Olive can."

"What's he mean?" asked Kaiba.

"In fact, several people on this vessel can trace their history back to ancient Egypt," said Marik. "To a time when sorcerers and kings waged great wars. Back then, the power of the shadows was everywhere and the world feared those who controlled it."

"Blah, blah, blah," said Mai, the irritation very evident in her features. "I don't need a history lesson to learn how to control the actions of _my_ duel monster."

"Maximillion Pegasus certainly did," said Marik. "Not even he knew how to decipher the ancient text when he created the card, but he knew that in ancient times, the winged dragon would only obey those who chanted the words. So, Pegasus printed the words in an ink that can only be seen when the monster is summoned. I'll ask you again, are you reading the chant or shall I release the winged dragon of Ra?" asked Marik.

"Laugh it up, psycho boy," said Mai. "You sure know how to pick em, Olive," she snapped, glaring at me.

"Don't blame me because you can't read hieroglyphs," I said.

"Be careful, Mai," said Yami.

"With no other monsters on the field, if Mai gets attacked by that winged dragon, it's over," said Joey.

"This is getting interesting," Kaiba thought.

"Time is running out, so make your move," said Marik. He smiled. "Unless you're willing to admit defeat."

Mai placed a card face down and ended her turn.

"It's over," said Marik. "I summon holding legs." It was a monster similar to the holding arms only, apparently, for the legs. Mai's face down card was sent back to her hand and the holding legs and arms called forth a sacred stone behind her. Marik attacked with them. They chained Mai's arms and legs and threw her against the stone tablet.

"I can't move!" she cried. "What kind of hologram is this?"

My eyes widened, in shock.

"Recognize them?" Marik asked me. "You should. You helped create them. Maybe someday I can get you all tied up. And Mai, we're playing a shadow game. Everything here is real."

Mai's life points were lowered to eight hundred and she cried out in pain.

"Mai! Are you alright?" asked Joey.

"That voice..." said Mai. "It sounds so familiar..."

Marik laughed. "Your friends are all gone now!" he said.

"That's a lie!" Yami yelled.

"I don't need you intruding on my shadow game again," Marik snapped at him.

Marik began reciting the chant. The golden orb began to glow. The beast belonged to him again. The winged dragon of Ra was huge. It moved to stand behind Marik.

"Hey, ref, pull the plug on this duel!" Joey insisted.

"That's against Battle City rules," said the man.

"Big deal," said Joey. He jumped up onto the dueling platform.

"You'll be disqualified!" said the ref.

"I don't care," said Joey.

"It's all over..." Mai mumbled.

"Well put, my dear," said Marik. "Winged dragon of Ra, direct attack!"

"Look out, Mai!" Tea and Serenity called together.

"Hey, Mai," said Joey, running to stand in front of her. Mai just looked confused, like she couldn't see him. She squinted into the darkness. "I'll get you out of this. Don't worry."

"It's that voice..." she muttered. "Who is it?"

"Joey!" Serenity called, fearfully.

"Please be careful!" Tea yelled.

Joey began to pull on the chains.

"Who's there?" asked Mai.

"Mai! It's me!" said Joey

"You sound so familiar to me," said Mai, with a small smile. "Like an old friend."

"Come on," said Joey, looking slightly hurt. "You just gotta remember who I am, Mai. Think."

"I'm not sure..." said Mai, trailing off.

"Try harder," said Joey. He lifted her face. "Look in my eyes," he said, in a tender voice. "It's me."

Mai looked at him and seemed to be struggling to think. "Joey?" she finally asked.

"That's right, it's Joey!" said Joey. "And I'm not going to let anything happen to you, because we're friends."

"We're friends? Us?" asked Mai.

"You know it, and I'm always here for you - no matter what," said Joey. "I got something I gotta tell you, Mai," he continued, as the winged dragon of Ra prepared to attack. "It's something I should have told you before. Do you remember when I got knocked unconscious during that lightning storm? Then I had that freaky dream that we were all back at school, only for some reason, I couldn't stand up. All my friends helped me get back on my feet, including you, Mai. I know I told you that you weren't in that dream, Mai. I'm sorry. But you were there. You're my friend."

"Wait a sec..." said Mai, her eyes clearing and focusing. They widened in recognition. "Joey!"

"You remember now?" asked Joey.

"That meddling fool broke my shadow spell!" Marik thought, furiously. "No matter," he thought, shrugging it off. "I'll destroy them both now."

"Let's go," Mai said to Joey. "Get me out of these stupid chains."

"Alright," said Joey, tugging at the chains. "Now that's the Mai I remember. Aw, man. These things are on even tighter than I thought...I gotta get it off quick."

Even more light and energy gathered in the open mouth of the winged dragon of Ra. It reared its head back to attack.

"Forget about me!" said Mai, to Joey. "Just go."

"No way, Mai. Not without you," said Joey.

"Now, winged dragon of Ra, destroy them both!" said Marik, raising his millennium rod into the air and then using it to point across the field at Mai and Joey.

"Listen, Joey, don't be a hero," said Mai, as the energy began to fly across the field towards them.

Joey shielded Mai with his body.

"Look, I'm staying right here," said Joey.

"Thank you," Mai whispered, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Hang in there," said Joey. "You're gonna be okay, Mai. I promise and I never break a promise to a friend."

"That's enough!" Yami yelled, jumping onto the field. He ran in front of Joey and Mai, his arms outstretched.

"I have to protect the Pharaoh," I thought, in a panic.

What happened next was hard to describe. I wasn't sure what was going on at first and it all happened in a split second. I felt my mind and body twist, sickeningly, like I was on an amusement park ride that was spinning me upside down. The next thing I knew, I was floating in the air right behind Yami. I'd appeared between him and the winged dragon's attack at the last second, just in time to block him. I shoved Yami forward, out of the way, when the attack hit me. There was heat and pressure all around my body. I didn't feel the heat, but pain ripped through my head. I squeezed my eyes shut and cried out as pain enveloped my entire body.

I heard Marik laugh. "Impressive, Priestess," he said.

"Olive, get the hell down from there!" Kaiba yelled. "You're going to get hurt!"

"Olive, how did you get here? What are you doing?" asked Yami.

But I couldn't answer. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move.

The attack, which seemed to drag on forever, finally ended and with a final cry of pain, I collapsed on the ground. I still couldn't move. My body was too weak.

"Oh, no!" said Joey.

I felt someone touch me, gently, but I didn't know who it was.

"Olive!" shouted Kaiba.

"Please, get up!" yelled Tea.

"Olive, why?" asked Yami, quietly.

"Don't worry," I heard Joey say, gently. "You're going to be alright."

"That's what you think, fool, but I'm afraid I beg to differ," I heard Marik say. "Looks like I won this duel. I'm waiting. Her life points are gone, so announce me as the winner."

The referee announced Marik as the winner.

"Let's check the damage and cause some more," said Marik.

Yami pulled me into his arms and while I could feel the energy from him making me stronger, every step Marik took towards us flooded my body and mind with darkness. I heard Mai fall to the ground. Yami seemed to go into a trance as his mind raced with thoughts and symbols I didn't recognize, trying to heal me.

"What do we have here?" asked Marik, looming over us.

"Olive, come on," said Joey. "Get up. Yugi, snap out of it!"

"I should send you all to the shadow realm right now and turn Olive's mind while it is weak and unprotected," said Marik.

"You wish!" said Joey, angrily getting to his feet.

"Relax," said Marik. "I still need Olive and the Pharaoh. But you won't be so lucky." The eye began to glow on his forehead. "You all need to be taught a lesson about meddling in matters that don't concern you." A dark energy seemed to surround Joey and even Yami. I could see it shining around their bodies, although I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating or not. "Perhaps next time you'll think before you enter a duel uninvited," said Marik.

"Joey!" cried Mai. Marik walked forward to crouch in front of her. "What did you do to them Marik?" she demanded.

"Not to worry," said Marik. "They'll all be fine, but there's something we need to discuss. You still have my Egyptian God card in your deck and I want it back." He lifted Mai's chin so she had to look at him. "Now," he said. "It's time to fulfill my promise. I said if you lost you'd be trapped in the shadow realm for eternity."

"The shadow realm?" asked Mai.

"Did you forget?" asked Marik. "I know your memory has failed you, but you and I had an agreement." He held out his millennium rod.

Somehow, I pulled myself to my hands and knees. "No!" I said. "Marik..."

He looked at me and laughed. His millennium rod lit up and I sunk back to the ground as a fresh wave of pain hit me. My eyes slowly slid shut and Marik's cruel laugh echoed through my head.

Mai collapsed.

"What did you do to her, Marik?" Joey demanded.

"Your friend made a costly mistake by dueling against me and now I'm afraid she's paying the ultimate price," said Marik. "Notice her motionless appearance? That's because her mind is trapped. With each passing second, she forgets more. The shadows are taking everything, Wheeler. Her family. Her friends. Everything she kept inside her mind and inside her heart." He laughed and I felt the toe of his shoe slide under me and roll me over. "Now, what to do with the Priestess..." he said, thoughtfully. He reached out to touch me and, frantically, I tried to think of a way to keep him away. A clear, slightly glowing purple colored shield stopped his hand before it reached me. He laughed.

"That's it, Marik," said Joey. "You have gone too far." He raised his fists. "It's go time. Put em up, cowboy."

"Fool," Marik sneered. "Threaten me again and you'll meet the same fate as your friend."

"Joey, please, just let it go," Serenity pleaded.

"She's right, man," said Tristan. "This creep's psychotic."

Marik walked off the dueling platform, with a final wave at me. After he was gone, Tristan, Serenity, Duke, and Tea raced up on the platform with us. Joey pulled Mai into his arms.

"Come on, Mai, snap out of it," said Tristan.

"Yugi, what's going on?" asked Tea, trying to shake him out of his trance.

"Olive, come on," said Duke. "Wake up."

"Is Olive okay?" I heard Kaiba ask.

"I'm sorry I let you down, Mai," Joey thought. Every thought was so loud and so painful. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. "I'll find a way to get you out of this mess."

"Hey, guys, Yugi's waking up!" Tea cried, excitedly, a few seconds later.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," said Yami. "Is everyone else okay?"

"I'm fine," said Joey, "but Olive hasn't moved and Mai's not doing so well."

"I don't know how Olive got in the way of that attack," said Duke. "She was standing next to me one second and the next second, she was just gone. I would have stopped her if I knew..."

"Marik pulled something freaky with that rod of his," said Joey. "He said he trapped Mai's mind in the shadows."

"Yea, and then he said she's gonna lose all her memories," Tea added.

"Alright, you geeks," said Kaiba. "Clear the field for the next duel."

"Kaiba..." Yami began.

"Save it," said Kaiba. "I'm dueling next and I need to prepare the field, Yugi. I'll send up a doctor to get Mai." He paused and I could feel him thinking about me. "I'll take Olive down to her room by myself."


	35. Two is Better Than One, Right?

Chapter Thirty-Five

By the time Kaiba got me to the medical wing, or whatever it was called, near where Mai, Odion, and Bakura were also sleeping, I was beginning to wake up. I moved, slightly. Kaiba made shushing noises, that I supposed were supposed to be comforting. He laid me down on the bed and I opened my eyes.

Immediately, I snapped my eyes shut. Everything was so bright that it was painful.

"Are you okay?" asked Kaiba, in a quiet voice.

"The lights are bright," I heard myself say. My voice sounded hoarse and raspy, the way people always sound when they're recovering from a cold.

Kaiba got up and dimmed the lights. Then he returned to the beside and knelt down next to it.

With effort, I rolled onto my side and opened my eyes slowly.

"You're being pleasant," I said. "Did I die after all?"

Kaiba snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'm just concerned, okay?" he said. "If you don't want me here, I can leave..." he made a move to go, but I grabbed his arm.

"Please don't," I said. "I don't want to be alone."

He moved back, watching me silently. I could see he was worried and concerned by the look in his eyes. It made me smile.

"My voice sounds stupid," I whispered.

Kaiba smiled. "I think you sound sexy," he said.

I raised my eyebrows. "How very forward of you, Mister Kaiba," I said.

"I miss you," he said.

"Little old me?" I asked. "Then why are you so mean to me?"

"Because you drive me crazy," he said.

"Thanks," I said, sarcastically. "You really know how to cheer a girl up."

"I have to go prepare for my duel," he said.

"Who are you dueling?" I asked.

"The eighth duelist," he said.

"The one we haven't seen yet?" I asked.

He nodded.

I grinned. "I know who it is," I said.

"Do you?" he asked.

I nodded. "But it's a surprise," I said. "Go have fun."

He brushed my hair out of my eyes and said, "Please rest, Olive. I know that you think you're the toughest person in the world, but please. Get some rest. Be okay."

I smiled. "No promises," I said.

He rolled his eyes and stood up to go. He stopped in the doorway to tell the doctor, who was walking in with my friends trailing behind him, that Marik was not allowed anywhere near my room.

I rolled on my back.

"Olive!" said Yami, surprised to see me moving and awake. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I said, sitting up.

The doctor immediately ordered me to lay back down. "Miss Reynolds, you have suffered severe trauma," he said. "Every other case, not only on this ship but in my entire career, says that you should be in a coma right now."

I laid back down. "I'm special, doc," I said, smiling slightly. "I'm too cool to go into a coma."

"Olive!" Tea cried out, her eyes watering with tears. She looked like she'd just finished crying. "Please, listen to the doctor! I was afraid you were dead! I'm just so glad to see you're okay so please, Olive. Be careful."

The doctor made some notes, talked to me for a minute about resting and getting enough fluids, and then left.

"Okay," I said. "I'm sorry I had you worried, Tea. At least I didn't pass out like I did at Duelist Kingdom, right? It's no big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal!" Duke burst out. "Bakura, Odion, and Mai are all unconscious!"

I frowned. "I'm sorry, Duke," I said. "I didn't...realize you were taking this so seriously."

"Of course I'm taking it seriously," Duke snapped, covering up his worry with irritation.

"You really had us scared, Reynolds," said Joey. "That wasn't a normal duel. Those monsters were real - Mai was trapped. It wasn't a hologram. That means you were really attacked by an Egyptian God monster."

A shiver ran through my body and I shuddered a little. "I know," I said. "Where's Serenity?"

"She stayed in Mai's room to watch over her," said Joey, as the doctor began to check my vitals and run tests. "She's really worried."

"That's good," I said. "Mai needs someone to watch after her. How is Mai doing?"

"She's not waking up," said Tea. "She can't hear us."

"Marik has locked her mind in the shadow realm," said Yami.

"Maybe I can help her..." I began.

"NO!" said Duke.

"What Duke means to say," said Tristan, with a glare at Duke, "is that you've been through more than enough already and you need to rest."

"They're right, Olive," said Yami. "I can never thank you enough for what you did for me, but I think you need to recover your strength now."

"When does the next duel begin?" I asked. "I want to watch."

"Again, no," said Duke, sitting beside me on the other side of my bed. "I swear, Olive, if you move a muscle, I'll never go out on a date with you."

I smiled and then pretended to gasp in shock. "Duke, how could you say that? What will I do without a date with Duke Devlin?"

He shrugged. "I guess you should just avoid having to find out," he said, sarcastically.

"Is a one night stand still a possibility?" I asked.

"Not even a chance if you don't rest," he said, flicking my nose.

"You shouldn't be there anyway," said Yami. "Especially not if Marik shows up to watch."

"Thanks for the concern, but I can take care of myself," I said, frowning a little. "I'm not afraid of Marik. Sort of."

"You should still be careful," said Joey. "This tournament's gotten way out of hand. You know why?"

"Cuz there's a mind warping psycho on board," said Duke.

Tea frowned and smacked the back of his head.

"Ouch!" said Duke. "I'm just being honest."

"We gotta hurry up and get to the next duel, guys," said Yami.

"You guys go ahead," I said, smiling. "You have to remember every detail so that you can tell me everything."

"Can't you just use your freaky powers to watch the duel anyway?" asked Joey.

"She shouldn't," said Yami, frowning. "She should sleep. Feel better, Olive. I need you."

I nodded. "I will," I said. "Give it an hour and I'll be fine."

Everyone turned to leave, and Tea said, "Go ahead, guys, I'll catch up to you in a second."

"What's up, Tea?" I asked, when everyone was gone.

She turned back to look at me, but her eyes had gone funny. They'd become blank and she looked like she had no pupils.

"Tea...?" I asked, slowly.

"It's me, Olive," she said. Her voice sounded very monotone and in my head, I could hear Marik's voice. I shuddered. My head began to pulsate with pain. "Marik. It's the real me, my good side. I need your help, Olive. I want my body back."

"Then go get your body back," I said. "There's nothing I can do to help you."

"There is, Olive," said Marik, using Tea. "You are a High Priestess. You know you have the power to help me." Tea held out her hand and I flinched away. I sat up and held my head in pain. "Please, Olive. I don't want to force you to help me, but I will if I have to. You are too weak to fight me off right now." He smirked. "Besides, I know you've always wanted me inside you," he teased.

"You're an arrogant prick, Blondie," I snapped.

"Come on, kid," he said.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

"Tea's mind is...different than what I am used too, Olive," said Marik. "But while my spirit is disconnected from my body, I need a mind to take refuge in."

"What are you saying?" I asked, frowning.

Tea smiled. "I think you know exactly what I'm saying, Olive," said Marik. "Please, take my hand. I know the magic and you will recognize it the second you feel it. It may hurt, but it will be over with quickly."

I back away from him, slowly, my back hitting the wall.

"It will hurt worse if you aren't willing," said Marik.

"Fine," I said. "But if I do this for you, then you owe me."

"Very well," said Marik.

Tea's hand touched mine. She held tightly, lacing our fingers together, which was a gesture I was used to from Marik. I let out a cry of pain. It wasn't nearly as bad as being attacked by the dragon, but it still sent tremors of pain throughout my head, which then spread throughout my body. I fell sideways onto my pillow, tears in my eyes. I tried to pull my hand away, but Tea was holding tightly. Light seemed to flood the room and I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears spilled down my cheeks and I could feel myself shaking.

When the light cleared, I saw Tea, looking worriedly down at me. Her eyes were normal once again. "Are you sure you're going to be alright here alone, Olive? You look like you have a headache," she said.

I sat up and nodded, slowly. "I'll be fine, Tea," I said. I smiled. "My head will stop hurting soon. You go and watch the duel. Tells me what happens."

She laughed a little. "Watching it or not, you'll probably know what happens before I do," she said. "Just rest. Be careful," she said. "I'll see you soon."

"Yea," I said, as she left. "I'll see you soon."

I stayed sitting until Tea had left my sight. When I was sure I was alone, I laid back down, pulling the blankets at the end of the bed over me as I began to shake uncontrollably. I pulled my knees up to my chest and forced myself to breath slowly.

"Gods, why can't I have a normal life?" I asked, out loud, once I'd calmed down. I stretched out my legs and rolled onto my back.

"Oh, please. You'd be bored within the hour," I heard Marik's voice in my head. It was so sudden and so unexpected that I jumped. Marik laughed. "Did I startle you?"

"Where are you?" I asked.

"In your body," he answered.

"And you don't find this slightly creepy at all?" I asked.

"Olive, I have controlled many people's minds and bodies," said Marik.

"And you don't find any of _that_ creepy at all either?" I demanded.

"I can be like...a built in friend," he teased.

"Gee, thanks," I said. "If only all people who heard voices in their head could see it that way, right?"

He laughed again, amused. "At least I can't completely control you, right?" he asked.

"Aww, thanks for the optimism," I said, sarcastically.

"Close your eyes and relax, Olive," he said. "I heard you got attacked by the winged dragon of Ra. I'm surprised you're okay. You need to rest."

"Thanks for the concern," I said, but I closed my eyes and yawned, letting myself drift into a dream.

_I was sitting in a room of stone walls. I laid back on a pile of beautifully embroidered pillows. I was wearing a tight white dress. The skirt was just strips of material, with slits as high as my thighs. My tattoo, like always, was there. The jewelry around my ankle was there. My hair had been piled messily on top of my head. There was incense burning that smelled like lavender. It turned into purple and white smoke that swirled around the room. Candlelight from jasmine scented candles flickered on the walls and I sighed, contentedly._

_ The air shimmered and Marik was in front of me. He looked like himself, not like the darker Marik that had dueled Mai. _

_ "Hello," I said, calmly. I tilted my head and regarded him with interest._

_ He smiled. _

_ "This is interesting," I said. "How come you can't control my mind, Marik?" I asked. _

_ "You're the High Priestess, Olive," he said. "You are a spirit so ancient that your origins can be traced back to the beginning of time. I think that there are parts of yourself that even you can't control. Too much power."_

_ I frowned. "I'm confused, Marik," I admitted. "I don't know anything about who I am."_

_ "You are a guide," said Marik. "You have been for centuries. The Pharaohs of ancient Egypt were the first people to enlist your help. They taught you how to control and manage your powers and you helped them by looking into the future and protecting them. The walls of the temples and the tombs, every ancient stone tablet I've ever seen or studied is engraved with your likeness and with your name."_

_ "The ancient scriptures you spoke of as well?" I answered._

_ He nodded. "Thank you for helping me, Olive. I will repay you," he said._

_ "Sure you will," I said._

_ "I will," said Marik. "I live in a place filled with ancient scriptures, texts, and inscriptions. Ishizu knows a lot about controlling powers. Odion knows how to fight. When all of this is over, I want you to come to Egypt with us and study with us."_

_ "Interesting," I said. After a few moments of silence, I motioned around the chamber we were sitting in and I asked, "What do you think of my mind, Marik Ishtar?"_

_ "It's like a maze," he said. _

_ "So is the Pharaoh's," I said. _

_ "I think yours may be worse," he said. _


	36. Marik's Story

Chapter Thirty-Six

By the time I woke back up again, the duel had been won. I got out of bed and walked through the blimp to Joey's room, where my things were. I felt like I was wandering aimlessly for a while, but finally I found it. Images flashed through my head, but I pushed them away. Still, I knew. Kaiba had won his duel with Ishizu. And true to his usual skeptic self, he had walked away from visions with the declaration that there was no destiny, there was only his superior dueling skills.

I smiled and laughed to myself over how stubborn Kaiba was. For a second, I saw things through Kaiba's eyes as he made his way to another room with Mokuba. I stopped and shook my head to stop myself from getting too dizzy and confused. I closed my eyes and pushed the images away.

"Gods, how do you live with this?" Marik asked, inside my head.

I shuddered a little, forgetting that he could see what I saw. "What do you mean?" I asked out loud.

"You're just walking and all of the sudden, you see someone else instead of what's in front of you," Marik said. "It must get frustrating."

"I'm used to it," I lied.

"Sure," said Marik. "You know I know that you're lying, right?"

"Shove off," I murmured. "I've got to go get changed and check on Bakura."

"Are you in love with him?" asked Marik.

"Please," I rolled my eyes. "I'm not in love with anyone."

"He scares you. You're afraid of the spirit of the millennium ring," said Marik.

"I'm not afraid of anything, Marik," I said.

"Do you love Kaiba then?" asked Marik. "I can see your thoughts, Olive. Filled with boys. Bakura, Kaiba, me, Duke."

"Whatever," I grumbled.

I walked into Joey's room, picked out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt for bed. I went into the bathroom and, when I looked in the mirror, I could see Marik's image reflected in my eyes. "Weird," I commented, leaning in closer to see. "I can sort of see you."

Marik smiled.

"Wait! I can read it...that Egyptian text is completely clear to me!" I heard Kaiba think, startled.

I let out a cry of surprise and pain and leaned over the sink.

"Used to it, huh?" asked Marik.

"Attention duelists!" an intercom crackled loudly to life. "Round one of the Battle City finals is now complete! The four remaining finalists are Yugi, Joey, Kaiba, and Marik. The competition will resume tomorrow when we land at our next dueling site."

"Congrats, Marik," I smirked, looking in the mirror. "I hear you're a finalist."

"Shut up, Olive," he said.

"I need to shower and change," I said. I pointed at the mirror. "You go hide somewhere in my head, Marik. I don't need you...looking."

"No promises," he said.

I blushed. "This is weird," I said.

I shed my clothes and got into the shower. I showered quickly so that it wouldn't remain awkward for too long and pulled my clothes on quickly. I passed Joey, Yugi, and Tea in the hall on my way to Bakura's room and stopped to talk.

"Olive!" Tea cried. "Should you be up?"

"I'm fine, Tea, I promise," I said. "I'm feeling a lot better. I was just going to check on Bakura."

She threw her arms around my neck and pulled me into a hug. "Oh, Olive, I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried!"

"We're going to check on Mai," said Joey.

"Good," I said. "I'll go with you really quick. How was the duel?"

"Kaiba won," said Tea.

"I have a feeling you already knew that," said Joey, smiling.

I laughed. "What can I say?" I asked. "How'd Ishizu do?"

"She put up a good fight," said Joey.

"How'd you know it was Ishizu who dueled Kaiba?" asked Yugi.

"We spoke a few hours ago," I explained.

"You guys have some serious resting to do," Tea said to the boys.

"Yea," said Yugi. "This tournament has been pretty intense so far."

"You said it, Yugi," Joey agreed.

"Well, it can't get much worse," said Tea sadly. "Bakura and Odion are knocked out and Mai's in the shadow realm. Not to mention, you were attacked and we thought you might die," she said to me.

"And it's all because of Marik and his evil plan," said Yugi.

I felt a pang of guilt inside my mind from Marik.

"Feeling bad?" I thought.

After a minute of silence, he admitted, "A little bit."

"Don't worry, Yugi," said Joey, reassuringly. "We'll find a way to stop that creep. Now let's check up on Mai."

We walked to the door and Yugi went to open it.

"Greetings, Yugi," said a voice.

We turned.

"Ishizu!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Sister," Marik thought, sounding sad.

"I am sorry about what happened to your friend," said Ishizu. "May I pay her a visit with you?"

Yugi nodded and we all entered the room. Duke and Tristan were already there.

For a second, Ishizu's eyes lingered on me, as if I looked different and she was trying to figure out why. Then she just smiled and gave me a little bow.

"Hey, Serenity," said Tea. "How's Mai?"

"Quiet," said Serenity.

"We gotta get her mind back!" Tea exclaimed.

"We will," I said. "If I have to force Marik, we will."

"That's almost sexy," Marik said, in my mind.

I ignored him.

"Serenity, has she said a word?" asked Joey.

Serenity shook her head. "Nope, not a thing," she said.

"Poor Mai," said Joey. "I'm sorry I let you down. But mark my words, I promise you'll get your revenge against that Marik."

"No, Joey," said Serenity. "Can't you see that anger and revenge will only make things worse? That's just how Mai got this way. Marik is so full of anger and hate that he gets pleasure from watching other people suffer."

"That jerk," said Joey.

"When I took my bandages off, this is not what I wanted to see," said Serenity, her voice quivering. She covered her eyes with her hands and started to cry.

"Serenity, it'll be okay," said Tea, rubbing her back comfortingly.

I knelt in front of her and took her hands. I wasn't sure how I knew what to do, but I felt warmth leave my hands and enter hers, calming and comforting her. "It'll be okay, Serenity," I said, quietly, but with confidence. She looked at me. I reached up and smoothed her hair back. "It's going to be alright. I promise."

"Your eyes look...purple..." Serenity whispered.

"Olive has green eyes, Serenity," said Duke. "Even though she doesn't date guys with green eyes."

"You must be tired," said Tristan.

"I'm sorry, Serenity," said Joey. "You're right. Olive's right."

"There is hope ahead," said Ishizu. "For where there is evil, there is also good. Marik was good once. He began life as an innocent child, like everyone does."

Involuntarily, I turned my head and looked at Ishizu. I shuddered, knowing Marik was the one who had turned to look at his sister.

"But that innocence disappeared," Ishizu continued, sadly. "It left my brother with a dark hole where his heart once was. I remember when this evil was born. It happened on the night that Marik received the tomb keeper's initiation." My own back began to burn as Marik remembered getting the scriptures tattooed on his back. "He inherited the task of protecting the Pharaoh's tomb - a task he always resented. Now this dark presence has completely taken over my brother's body."

"Ishizu, what happens if there's no way to save your brother?" asked Yugi, gently.

Ishizu frowned.

"It's not," I said. "If I can survive an attack from Ra, then I sure as hell can help save Marik."

"It may be too late," Yugi insisted. "Ishizu, you said it was my destiny to save the world from destruction. I thought that meant defeating your brother and putting an end to his plan, not saving him."

"Yugi," I said again. "Ishizu also said that I was here to guide you and that I knew things. She said to trust my instincts. Marik can be saved, Yugi. There is still good in him."

"After all I've done, you really think that highly of me?" Marik thought.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Yugi's got a point, Ishizu," said Joey. "What if it's too late to save Marik from the evil that's inside him. I mean, you've gotta admit, the guy's about as nasty as they come."

"Yea. It's hard to imagine him ever being nice," Tea added.

"Not only did none of you know him when he was young, but I met him last summer, remember?" I asked. I couldn't explain my belief in Marik, but it was there.

"Just because you guys made out doesn't make him a nice guy, Olive," said Tristan.

I shook my head. "He's a good person," I insisted.

"Thank you, Olive," said Ishizu. "If anyone would be able to sense it, it would be you. You all must trust me. I know there is hope. There's still a lot that you don't understand. It wasn't that long ago that my brother began to lose his way and turn towards the darkness. For generations, my family has lived in secrecy, deep beneath the desert sands, watching over the tomb of the Pharaoh. For five thousand years, an Ishtar has stood guard, waiting for Pharaoh to return." Memories, both Ishizu's and Marik's, ran through my mind and I sat on the ground and closed my eyes. "As the firstborn Ishtar son, Marik was required to have the Pharaoh's secret on his back and forbidden to ever leave the tomb. But there was one night that Marik insisted we leave the tomb. I had promised to take him outside one day and Marik did not want to wait. I told him the outside world was off limits to us, but he insisted it would be alright. He told me to relax and that Odion would cover for us. He said our father would never suspect a thing. He pleaded with me and eventually, I gave in. I told him that after one hour, we had to come home and we could never speak of this again." Ishizu sighed. "He was so excited to finally see the outside world and so I led her out of the tomb. I knew we were violating my family's code, but I also knew that Marik deserved to see the light of the outside world at least once in his life. I didn't realize that his exposure to this light would cause the darkness within him to grow."

"All I wanted was a normal life," Marik explained to me, in my mind. "I never wanted to be a tomb keeper. I wanted my own life."

"We went to the market place and Marik was so excited. He was excited by the people and by all the things. He was so happy, even though I told him not to get attached and not to touch anything, but he picked up a book that was lying on the ground," Ishizu continued. "He found a picture of a motorcycle in the book and on a television. He became obsessed with the idea of having a motorcycle one day and I told him we had to go. I had to get him home. He'd seen too much. So he tore the picture of the motorcycle out of the book and we turned to go home. Shadi was there," she glanced at me, "with Olive, when she was a child. We had met Olive once before, when she told our father that Odion was not allowed to go through the tomb keeper's initiation. She was just young - a year younger than Marik."

"Me?" I asked, looking up.

Ishizu nodded.

"That's strange," I said. "But Odion was thinking about the past earlier, when he dueled, and I saw myself in his memories. I remember the shirt I was wearing and everything. It was...really weird. I don't remember that at all and I didn't know I ever went to Egypt."

"There is a lot you do not remember, but it will come back to you, Priestess," said Ishizu. "Shadi told us that the Pharaoh would soon return to this world and that we had to prepare for him. He told us to ready ourselves because our lives and our destiny depended on it. Olive told us that if we rejected our sacred duty, the future would bring nothing by tragedy. I remember she looked at my brother when she said this. I asked both of them how they knew so much, but Shadi turned and left and Olive disappeared. I knew I had made a great mistake. As the keepers of the Pharaoh's tomb, we were forbidden to see the world and I was beginning to understand why. I was about to pay the price for my actions. I had exposed Marik to a world he should never have seen and this caused Marik to reject our family, resent the Priestess and the Pharaoh, and his evil side grew. We ran after Shadi, but he was gone. Marik asked me many questions, but I wouldn't answer. I told him to forget everything he'd seen and I took him home."

"You resented me?" I thought.

"Of course," Marik replied. "I hated you, Olive. You were the reason that I was trapped underground as a tomb keeper."

"Why did you become my friend in Egypt?" I asked.

"I wasn't entirely sure of who you were," Marik admitted. "I had my suspicions, but I didn't want to be right, Olive. I really liked you..." he trailed off.

"Now that Marik had seen the outside world, forgetting it was an impossible task," Ishizu continued. The memories flooding my mind made me wince in pain, but I wanted to see them. "Marik didn't want to go back, but I told him it wasn't our choice. I believe that was when Marik decided that he was going to abandon his destiny as a tomb keeper. He followed me down the stairs, but I realized there was an alarm. Our father knew that we'd left the tomb. My father had used the millennium rod to weaken Odion out of anger. He wanted Odion to leave and never return. Our father was furious with us. Marik began to cry out in pain and his darker side took over. He laughed at our father and took the millennium rod. He used it to banish our father to the shadow realm. He even used the millennium rod against me. When he tried to kill Odion, Olive reappeared with Shadi and stopped him. Shadi told him to turn back before it was too late."

"Marik's anger and jealousy fueled the darkness inside him," Yugi thought.

"I can't believe I was there..." I thought.

"Yes, and you had such control over your powers," Marik added.

"Lady, I'm supposed to feel sorry for Marik because he grew into some evil nutcase?" Joey demanded. "Look, your brother trapped Mai's mind in the shadow realm. Now she's living out her worst nightmares and I'm gonna make sure he pays!"

"Yugi, it is possible to destroy the evil within my brother without destroying the good. I realize now that destiny can be changed," said Ishizu.

"But how?" asked Yugi.

"As the Pharaoh's vessel, you have the power to do it," Ishizu said.

"Attention duelists," came a voice over the intercom. "Lights out in ten minutes."

"Alright! Time to crash in Joey's suite," said Tristan.

"What are you talking about?" Joey demanded.

"Come on, your room's like a palace," said Tristan. "You'll never even know that I'm there."

"Oh, I'll know," said Joey. "I'll know by the smell. Serenity, sweet dreams. You too," he added to Tea.

"Get some rest," said Serenity.

"What room are you staying in, Olive?" asked Joey.

"Well, I'm going to check on Bakura," I said. "But after that I'll probably come back here and crash on the couch."

"Yugi, with Olive's permission, there is one more thing I must give to you," said Ishizu. "It is a powerful object that I no longer have any use for."

"Thanks. What is it?" asked Yugi.

She undid the millennium necklace from around her neck. "With your permission, Priestess, I think my time with this item has ended," she said.

I nodded, not entirely sure why she needed my permission.

She handed Yugi the millennium necklace.

"Joey, let's head back to the room before lights out," said Tristan. The boys left.

Ishizu left a few moments later and, a few second later, I followed.

"Olive," Marik said, inside my head. "I need a favor. And you're not going to like it. I need you to use the millennium ring to deliver my spirit into Bakura."

Alarm ran through my body. "Marik, I won't touch the millennium ring," I said. "It burns me. I can't..."

"Let me take over, Olive," said Marik. "I will hold it so that it doesn't hurt you."

"No," I said.

"Olive, you're still weak. I can take over if I want to, but I'd rather have your permission," Marik responded. "Now just close your eyes. Relax."

After a second of hesitation, I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I felt as if I were taking a step back and Marik took a step forward. This time, when I walked forward, I knew it was Marik controlling my body. It made me feel almost nauseated inside, but I sat back and let him.

The millennium ring appeared in his hands out of nowhere and he headed for Bakura's room.

"Let me show you a trick, Priestess," he said, out loud, using my voice.

There was a sound like a loud wind and I felt my body grow nauseated again - the amusement park ride feeling. Suddenly, we were in the doorway of Bakura's room.

"That's how I got in the way of the winged dragon's attack," I thought.

"I thought as much," said Marik.

"How do you know how to use my powers?" I asked.

"I've studied you for years."

We walked into Bakura's room and I set the millennium on his pillow beside his head. It began to glow and Bakura's eyes snapped open. With feeling like a sigh, Marik was suddenly gone from my mind. He reassured me that he'd return if he needed too and I felt him leave me and enter Bakura's mind.

Bakura looked at me. I knew the spirit of the millennium ring was controlling him the second we made eye contact. He smiled at me.

"Why thank you, Olive," he said. "What did you do to heal me?"

"Marik is inside your mind," I said. "He needs your help with something."

"I see," said Bakura, sitting up. "Did you miss me?"

"No," I said, quickly.

"Are you lying?" he asked.

I hesitated and he laughed.

"I knew you missed me," he said, in his dark voice. "Come here," he ordered.

I thought about refusing, but then I moved closer to him. He wrapped his arms around me and pushed me down on the bed. He laid his head on my chest and breathed in deeply.

"You smell like lavender and...jasmine," he said.

"Thanks, I think," I said, feeling slightly nervous.

"That's how you always smelled in ancient Egypt," he said. "Your temple was filled with lavender incense and jasmine candles to clear your mind." He looked up at me and got on all fours, staring down at me. "When all of this is over, when I am the most powerful being in the world, you will be mine."

"I don't belong to anyone," I said, without thinking.

"We've been over this," he said, "and yes you do."

I propped myself up with one arm and ran my fingers through his hair. I pulled him towards me and kissed him. He kissed me back. I laid back down, pulling him with me. He kissed my lips, my face, my neck. He pulled my t-shirt over my head and kissed my skin, nipping just slightly too roughly on my collarbone. But I didn't feel the pain. I moaned and that was when I remembered. Marik was in his mind too.

I smiled and pushed him away.

"I can't do this, Kura," I said. "Marik's inside your head. I don't want to be kissing both of you at the same time. It's weird."

Bakura laughed. "Have it your way," he said. "I suppose I can wait a little while longer."

"Where are you going?" I asked him, when he stood up.

"Why? Worried about me?" he asked, smirking.

I pulled my shirt back on and stood up.

"I am going to challenge Marik's dark side to a duel, Olive," said Bakura. "Marik and I have made a deal. If I defeat his dark side, then he will give me the millennium rod."

"Of course," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Do you know where I can find him?"

I closed my eyes and focused until I could sense his energy. "He's headed for Odion's room," I said. I stood on tip toes and kissed him again. "Let me show you a new trick I learned," I added. Before Bakura could ask me what I was talking about or protest, I grabbed his hand. The world spun and we were in Odion's dark room.


	37. Fade Away

Chapter Thirty-Seven

From where we stood in the shadows, we watched Marik's dark side approach Odion's bed. The eye shape was glowing on his forehead. He laughed softly to himself. Chills ran through my body and I tightened my grip on Bakura's hand. He pulled me closer to him.

"Odion, it's time to do what I should have done ages ago. In order for me to survive, you'll have to be sent to the shadows," Marik's dark side said.

Bakura's ring began to glow and I dug my fingernails into the palm of his hand. He only smirked and stepped forward. "I'm afraid I'll have to step in now," he said and Marik turned towards us.

"The spirit of the millennium ring," he commented, amused. He saw us holding hands and nodded at me. "Priestess," he said.

"Well, you're half right, but I've brought company with me this time," said Bakura, walking forward, still holding tightly to my hand. "The real Marik is here as well."

"It appears the essence of my weaker self has taken refuge within the body of Bakura," I heard the darker side of Marik think.

"I'm surprised you would support this, Priestess," he said aloud.

"I want my body back and I brought an old friend along to help me get it," said the real Marik. He spoke through Bakura, but you could almost hear the difference in his voice.

"He promised me the millennium rod if I can successfully do away with you," Bakura explained.

The darker Marik laughed. "Oh, that's right. You're the fool who's trying to collect the millennium items," he commented. "No wonder you want your little priestess tagging along everywhere with you."  
"What does that mean?" I snapped, a surge of anger flowing through me.

"Only that your power is so tied to the millennium items and to the past that I suppose it makes sense," he commented.

"If you hand over the millennium rod, you won't force me to add you to my other collection - that is to say, my victims," said Bakura. His voice was so dark and threatening when speaking to Marik that I felt a hint of my old fear for him. I tried to let go of his hand, but he tightened his grip.

"My millennium rod can easily overpower your ring," the dark side of Marik sneered. "Well, try me." He held out his rod and Bakura was blasted backwards and against the wall. I was dragged back with him, my head hitting his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and a strange feeling went through my body, as if I were trapped, but within seconds it was gone. "I told you that you were no match for me. I'll finish you off once I'm finished with Odion," said the dark Marik.

I'd learned very early on that the powers of the millennium items very rarely affected me the way they were meant to. Where Bakura couldn't move because of the millennium rod, I could. I closed my eyes and focused on the energy I could feel in my entire body and being. I felt the millennium ring begin to burn where it was pressed against my back. I pushed the pain away and within seconds, Bakura could move again. I stepped away from him and I could sense the millennium ring was glowing. My own eyes were flooded with golden light as they began to glow along with the tattoo on my forearm.

The dark Marik, who had raised his rod above his head, preparing to use it against Odion, froze as a golden glow surrounded him. He couldn't move. "What is this? I can't move!" he cried out in surprise. He turned to look at us and I smiled.

The glow from the millennium ring, my eyes, and my tattoo faded.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked, my voice at the edge of a laugh. "We aren't afraid of you."

Bakura looked at me as if he were seeing me for the first time and smiled. "You are so sexy," he said. He turned back to Marik. "Now hand over the object," he said.

"No," said Marik. "It seems to me that the power of our items are equal and having your little priestess here is a rather unfair advantage, isn't it? Perhaps you'd like to duel me for the rights to the millennium rod. That is, if you can handle it."

"Why don't we raise the stakes?" asked Bakura, with a grin.

"Kura..." I whispered, worried.

"Don't worry about me, gorgeous," he said. "I will always come back for you."

I blinked and then, suddenly, we were on top of the blimp. The freezing wind whipped around me, my hair swirling around my face. I shivered in the cold. Bakura smiled and handed me his jacket. I smiled, gratefully, and put it on, secretly hating the feeling that he was looking out for me.

"Good to see you're comfortable, witch," the dark Marik sneered at me. His eyes shifted to Bakura. "The winning duelist will keep the millennium rod," he said. "The loser will be banished to the shadow realm."

"Draw your cards and let the shadow game begin," said Bakura, his eyes shining with excitement and confidence.

"Not again," I whispered. The shadow realm never failed to leave my body feeling chilled and my mind exhausted. I closed my eyes, willing the shadows away. Dreams and thoughts of the others on the blimp ran through my head.

"Are you ready?" asked the dark Marik. "The loser of this duel will pay the ultimate price."

Bakura chuckled.

"There will be no laughter once I've banished you to the shadow realm," said the dark Marik.

"You will be the one who is living in eternal darkness," said Bakura. "Wait and see."

The dark Marik smirked

"Kura, his winged dragon is powerful," I whispered.

"Listen to your priestess," said the dark Marik. "She would know, she was directly attacked."

"If you _ever_ attack her again..." Bakura growled.

Marik just smiled darkly.

"I almost forgot," he said. "You have the dueling experience of my weaker self to call upon."

"That is correct and since you learned everything you know about dueling from him, I know your dueling strategy inside and out," said Bakura grinning.

"Those two are in for quite a surprise," thought the darker Marik.

"Priestess, you are not to interfere with anything that goes on here tonight," he threatened. "If you even try, I will make you pay."

"I won't interfere..." I said. "But be careful who you threaten."

"She isn't going to get in the way of anything," said Bakura. "And don't think I'm unaware of the Egyptian God card you now hold."

"Just because that fool, Marik, is dueling on your side doesn't mean you will be able to escape the fury of Ra," said the dark Marik, confidently. "When I'm through with you two, you're both certain to end up in the dark."

"Before we start, there's someone here who'd like to have a few words with you, face-to-face," said Bakura.

"Make it fast," the dark Marik snapped.

"I _will_ get my body back from you because destiny is on my side," said the real Marik through Bakura. It made me shudder thinking of how easy it had been for him to take control when he was in my mind.

"Sorry, but I've taken over your destiny now," said the dark Marik. "And with it, I plan to claim the power of the Pharaoh for myself while you two fools wallow in the shadows. I am the real you and soon you'll be nothing but a forgotten memory in the sands of time." He laughed.

"It appears there are secrets that Marik has kept from me," Bakura thought. "Now if he wants my help it will cost him dearly."

"Just stand back and do as I say," the real Marik said to Bakura.

"Silence!" Bakura ordered, angrily. "There's business to discuss first. I will help you to reclaim your body, but I have a price."

"Very well, then," said the real Marik, sounding impatient. "You win the duel and I'll give you the millennium rod."

"Sorry, Marik. That's our old deal. Now I need more," said Bakura, with the smallest smile. "I hadn't heard of you seeking the power of the Pharaoh. Is there a magic stronger than the millennium items that you haven't told me about? I want to know what secrets you're keeping from me, Marik. Tell me everything and we have a deal."

"If we win, I'll tell you all," Marik agreed.

"Then we have deal," said Bakura. "Let's begin. I don't trust you, but this time I know you need me."

"Then let's duel," said the real Marik.

"You heard your better half, you fiend," Bakura said to the darker Marik. "Now prepare for a one-way trip to the shadow realm."

I squeezed my eyes shut and felt the darkness rush past me. But when I saw Bakura fade into the shadows, I couldn't help it. With a deep feeling of uncertainty, I stepped inside.

"So nice of you to join us," said the dark Marik. "Prepare for a battle like no other. In this duel, the eternal darkness of the shadow realm will slowly devour the loser as his life points diminish."

"What do you mean?" asked Bakura.

"Just wait and see," said the dark Marik.

Both drew their first cards. Bakura played a card face down and summoned a goblin zombie in attack mode. Marik played a card face down as well and summoned a monster called Drelago. When he attacked, Bakura activated his trap card and Marik automatically lost five hundred life points. But Marik activated remove trap and destroyed Bakura's trap card.

Bakura only smiled. "It'll take more than a magic card to defeat me," he said, confidently.

"I have no doubt," said the dark Marik, with a smirk.

I let out a cry of surprise.

Bakura's monster had been sent to the graveyard and, as his life points were lowered, his arm began to fade. Worry gnawed at my stomach.

"Kura!" I cried out before I could stop myself. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt the millennium puzzle light up and images of Yugi's dream flashed through my mind. I pushed the dream away from my mind and forced myself to focus on the duel.

Bakura drew his next card. He argued with Marik for a moment and then placed two cards face down. He also summoned a monster in defense mode. Dark Marik drew a card and activated a magic card that made both of them draw until they both held six cards. Bakura activated a card called multiple destruction. It caused both players to discard their hands and draw five new cards. The only down side was the Bakura lost one hundred life points for each card they discarded. I grimaced at part of his other arm began to fade. Dark Marik played a face down card.

Once again, Yugi's dream and my first memory of Shadi tugged at my mind. With a frown of annoyance, I tried to push it away. I needed to focus. The Pharaoh could wait for now.

"Shadi hasn't given up yet. That's why he appeared to us on the blimp with Olive," I heard Yugi say.

I shook my head. "Stop it," I murmured.

Bakura drew another card. He sacrificed his monster and summoned a card called puppet master. For one thousand life points, Bakura was able to bring three monsters back from the graveyard. More of his body faded. It was all I could do to keep myself from panicking. Bakura activated a magic card and used it to force dark Marik to draw the winged dragon of Ra. He was planning on claiming it for himself. Bakura activated his face down card - a magic card called exchange. Bakura took the winged dragon of Ra and Marik took Bakura's monster reborn card.

"Don't get excited just yet. You're forgetting that you can't control the winged dragon's power," said dark Marik.

"But I can," said the real Marik, his image appearing beside Bakura in the shadows. "The winged dragon of Ra can be controlled by anyone who can read the inscriptions."

"Look who's back," dark Marik taunted. "Looks like the spirit of the millennium ring isn't duelist enough to handle me without running to his little friend for help..."

"_Don't_ push me," Bakura growled.

"You'll need more than that weaklings health to defeat me," said dark Marik.

"We'll see about that," said Bakura. "Remember, my partner knows everything you do. After all, he is your other half."

"Bakura," I whispered.

He flashed a confident smile in my direction, but I wasn't soothed.

Dark Marik drew a card. He played a magic card that forced all monsters to wait one turn before attacking. Bakura then sacrificed his three monsters to summon the winged dragon of Ra. Marik activated a card that raised his life points. Ra was left with no attack points. I felt a deep sense of familiarity and fear when I saw the winged dragon of Ra. Even though I recognized Ra from whatever lifetime I didn't remember, there was fear from my last encounter with the God monster. For the first time since the duel had begun, Bakura looked worried. Then he looked angry.

Dark Marik drew another card and attacked Bakura's puppet master. Even more of Bakura disappeared and even though I knew what was going to happen, as I always did, I refused to believe it. Bakura sacrificed the winged dragon of Ra to summon a stronger monster. Dark Marik smiled. Bakura sacrificed three monsters from his graveyard to summon his monster called dark necrofear. He then sacrificed eight hundred life points to bring back another monster from the graveyard. Marik snapped at him to be more careful with their life points.

"What are you talking about, you parasite?" Bakura snarled, and the two began to argue.

It was dark Marik's turn and he drew another card. He thought for a moment and then smiled confidently.

I felt two familiar presences and instinctively glanced behind me.

"...a shadow duel," Yugi's voice floated strangely through my mind. "I'll bet Bakura's in there dueling Marik..."

"Bakura's in there...?" I heard Tea ask.

I felt the millennium puzzle and Yami told Tea to leave.

She refused.

I wish they would both go away so I could focus.

Dark Marik activated monster reborn and he brought back the winged dragon of Ra. Bakura cried out as it left his deck, which caused me to cry out involuntarily. With a grin, Marik used an ability of the winged dragon called secret attack. With that power, Ra was able to attack right away. I frowned as dark Marik began to fade. His life points were given to the winged dragon to gain power. Dark Marik kept only one life point and he was merged with the winged dragon of Ra.

"This can't be happening to me," said Bakura.

The winged dragon attacked.

All of Bakura's monsters were destroyed. The real Marik disappeared and with a feeling like I was being punched in the stomach, I felt his spirit thrown back into my mind. I stumbled a little. I wanted to do something, but I felt like I couldn't move.

"Get ready to enter the darkness at the hands of Ra," dark Marik said to Bakura.

"Haven't you realized I am the darkness?" asked Bakura, with a grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked dark Marik.

Bakura smiled and began to disappear. "It's quite simple," he said. "I can't be destroyed. You haven't seen the last of me." Before he was gone, he glanced back and me and said, dangerously, "Don't worry, my dear, I will always come back for _you_."

And then, he was gone and the millennium ring fell to the ground.

"Listen to me, Olive," real Marik demanded inside my mind. Dark Marik walked forward and picked up the millennium ring. "You're my last hope. A part of me still exists within you."

"MARIK!" I heard a loud voice cry.

Dark Marik and I both turned to see Yami.

"So, how long have you been here?" asked dark Marik.

"What have you done with Bakura?" Yami demanded.

"Bring him back, you fucking freak!" I spat.

"I don't know who you're talking about," said dark Marik, smugly. "If you mean the spirit of the millennium ring, you tell me where one goes after losing a shadow game."

"No!" I cried out.

"Don't be so surprised, Pharaoh. It won't be long before you join him in the shadow realm," he smiled and nodded at me. "Wonderful to see you again, priestess."

I vanished and reappeared in Ishizu's room and faded into the back of my mind so that Marik had control. I didn't want to be conscious anyway. See Bakura disappear made me feel weak and confused.

"Olive?" she asked, sitting up. "Is everything alright?"

"It's me. Your brother," Marik spoke through my voice.

"Marik?" she gasped. "Can it be?"

"It is," said Marik. "And I need your help."

"Is the Priestess alright?" asked Ishizu.

"She is," said Marik. "She is only...tired. But she has agreed to help me."

"What can I help you with?" she asked me. "I will do anything to help you, brother. And I will always serve my priestess."

"Come," Marik said, holding my hand out to Ishizu and then turning to walk down the hall. And somehow I knew, we were going to hide Odion to keep him safe. We finished just before the dark side of Marik entered the room and I disappeared. I reappeared in Bakura's room and buried my face in his pillow and inhaled deeply. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I needed to stay strong.


	38. A Virtual Shock

Chapter Thirty-Eight

I woke up without even realizing I'd fallen asleep. The pillow was wet so I supposed I had started crying in my sleep after all. In my sleep. I guess it's easier to let go when you're relaxed. I was in my pajamas - a pair of very short, dark green shorts and a tight white tank top. I sat up, slowly, and looked around the dark room. Something didn't seem right.

"Are you okay?" I heard Marik ask me in my mind.

I frowned. "Something just...doesn't feel right..." I whispered. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours," Marik answered.

"When did I get in my pajamas?" I asked.

"I helped," he said, sounding unsure of whether he should be smug or embarrassed.

I was about to respond when the intercom crackled to life.

"Our destination is in sight," it was Roland, the man who'd been acting as referee throughout the duration of the finals. "Standby for descent and the conclusion of the Battle City Finals."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said, still feeling a little bit uneasy.

The door slid open and Yugi walked inside.

"Hey," I said, patting the end of the bed. He walked over and sat down, looking troubled. "You're up early. Is everything alright?"

"I could ask you the same thing," said Yugi. "You had a rough night..." he began.

"I'm fine, Yugi," I said. "I don't want to...I can't talk about it right now. I'm sorry."

"I understand, Olive. When you're ready to talk, I'll be here. We'll all be here for you," he said, offering me a smile and a pat on the back that I assumed was supposed to be consoling. "I couldn't sleep at all last night," he admitted. "After everything that happened last night, it's pretty obvious that Marik will stop at nothing to get his hands on the power of the Pharaoh and he'll crush anyone who stands in his way."

"It looks like it," I said, with a sigh. "This is crazy, Yugi. Just think, almost a year ago, when I moved in, we were normal kids."

Yugi managed a small smile.

"Sorry," I said. "Just wanted to...not worry for a minute."

"We have to worry though," he said. "I'm glad I have someone here with me who can really understand."

"Of course," I said, nodding. I reached out and brushed his millennium puzzle with the tips of my fingers. Inside my mind, Marik seemed to be holding his breath, almost like he couldn't believe what I was doing. "I'm an ancient person too," I whispered, thoughtfully. I laughed a little.

Yugi looked like he might laugh too, but then he frowned again. "I don't know what to do," he said. "Bakura was only one of Marik's victims and the list is growing fast. First, Odion took the fall when Marik angered the Egyptian Gods. Then, Marik trapped Mai's mind in the shadow realm. There's no telling who he'll target next."

"Us, if he has the opportunity," I suggested.

"I'm not just going to sit around and find out," Yugi declared, almost as if he hadn't heard me. "Marik's gotta be stopped before..."

The blimp shook, like there was bad turbulence, and I was almost knocked off the bed. Yugi gasped and jumped to his feet. I was on my feet and right behind him within seconds. We walked out into the hall, trying to keep our balance as the blimp shook again. We were met by a freaked out looking Serenity and Tea, a very grumpy looking Joey, who was muttering to himself and rubbing his head, and a very tired looking Tristan and Duke.

"Hey, Reynolds," said Duke, raising his eyebrows and looking me up and down.

"Hey, yourself," I couldn't resist saying. Then I turned away from him. "What's going on?" I asked.

Tea shrugged. "We were woken up by the blimp shaking like crazy," she said.

"Well, let's go find out what's happening," said Tristan.

We entered the control room at the front of the blimp where Kaiba and Mokuba were talking to two of the men who were helping to man the controls of the blimp.

"Hey, what's up with the turbulence?" Joey demanded.

"Yea," said Tristan, "some of us sleep past five."

I shrugged. "I don't know what their problem is. I like waking up to a near-concussion, actually," I said, sarcastically.

"Glad to see you're feeling better," Kaiba said, rolling his eyes.

I heard dark-Marik's laugh echo through my head and I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut. "It appears someone else intends to bring chaos upon these fools as well," I heard him think. "What an amusing turn of events."

"That was weird," Marik commented.

The blimp turned suddenly to the left and everyone fought to stay standing. I caught hold of Serenity's arm to steady myself.

"The auto-pilot isn't responding!" one of the suits said.

"Then make it respond!" Kaiba demanded.

"It's rejecting every one one of my commands," he said, typing and pushing buttons frantically. "What should I do?"

"I pay you good money!" Kaiba snapped. "Now do whatever it takes to get us back on course to Kaiba Corp Island."

Out of the front window we saw a small island, mostly made of metal, with a tall metal tower rising out of the center. I had to squint to look at it because the sun was rising behind it.

"That pile of junk?" asked Tristan.

"Hey!" Mokuba interjected. "Watch what you're calling junk! That's where our company started."

"Is that the final dueling site?" asked Yugi.

"It is," said Kaiba, fiddling with the clasp of the duel monsters card shaped necklace he wore. It was something I knew he did when he was nervous. I was also one of the few people who knew it was actually a locket with a picture of Mokuba inside. Mokuba had an identical necklace with a picture of Seto inside. Two halves of the same picture, actually, from when they were little. "I built Kaiba Corp from the ruin of my step father's empire. It symbolizes the triumph of new over old."

"Kaiba Corp wasn't always a game company. The corporation was originally set up by our step dad to construct high tech vehicles for war," Mokuba explained. It was a story I'd been told once before, but I listened anyway. "But then Seto took over and changed all that. That island out there used to be the company's central headquarters until my brother tore down all the military factories. Then he built that duel tower on top of the rubble as a symbol of the new Kaiba Corp." Mokuba finish his explanation with pride in his voice.

But Kaiba glared at him and snapped, "That's enough, Mokuba."

"I think we hit a sore spot," Joey commented.

"What happened between me and my step father is family business," Kaiba thought, looking back out the front window. "Besides, that's all ancient history. Now I command an empire that dwarfs his and once I'm crowned the world's greatest duelist on top of that tower, I'll be free from my step father's shadow forever."

I watched Kaiba thoughtfully, while Marik complained over the invasion of other people's thoughts in my mind.

"What are you staring at, Olive?" Kaiba demanded.

"No one special," I said, with a smirk.

"Hey, get over it," I thought at Marik. "You've been invading my mind with _your_ thoughts for weeks. Not to mention now you're literally invading my mind. So get used to it."

Marik grumbled, but fell silent.

After jabbing a few more keys on the keyboard, the suit said, "Our navigation controls are taking commands from outside the ship. Someone's hacked into the mainframe and changed our destination coordinates."

"There's no way that's true!" Mokuba argued. "The security system on this ship is state of the art."

The blimp quickly began to descend and the man shouted, "Our situation is worsening! We're losing altitude rapidly!"

"You think?" I demanded, as everyone seemed to stumble and lose their footing. I steadied myself and managed to keep my footing, but then stumbled forward and grabbed Kaiba's arm. He gave me a funny look, but didn't say anything.

"Everybody hold on!" the man said.

Without thinking, Kaiba took my arm and held onto the desk Mokuba was sitting at to keep us steady. Everyone else crashed to the ground.

"Everyone alright?" asked Mokuba.

"You mean besides the whiplash an d the sprained ankle?" asked Tristan.

"Can you say lawsuit?" Joey grumbled.

"Shut up, Joey," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Try the emergency override system," Mokuba suggested.

"It's no use," said the man. "I've been completely locked out."

The front window shimmered and changed into a computer or television screen. For a second, it was fuzzy, and then the face of a boy appeared on it. He looked a few years younger than all of us, but older than Mokuba. Probably around Serenity's age. He had blue-ish green hair and a very familiar look of arrogance in his features.

"Greetings, duelists," he said. "There's nothing wrong with your television set. I'm in control now."

"Identify yourself!" Kaiba demanded, tightening his grip on my arm in anger. Painfully so.

I gasped and tried to pull my arm away.

"Always barking orders, aren't you?" the boy asked, smugly. "I've been observing you and it's time I put you in your place, Seto. From now on, I'll be calling the shots around here and my first order of business is to put an end to your little card game."

"You'll never get away with this, you creep," said Mokuba.

"It's a little late for that, Mokuba," I commented, avoiding Kaiba's glare.

"Listen to your little friend," said the boy. "I already have gotten away with this."

"Look, kid, I demand to know your name," Kaiba insisted.

"There you go again," the boy sneered. "Well fine. The name is Noah and you and I go back quite a long way, Seto."

"Enough of your foolish games," Kaiba scoffed.

"I'm afraid my games have only just begun, you fool," said Noah. The screen flashed and his image disappeared, turning back into a window.

There was a huge metal...something emerging from the waves below us. It looked like an island or some underwater fortress and we were heading straight for it.

"I've got bad news, Mister Kaiba," said the man at the controls.

"What is it?" asked Kaiba.

"Well, sir, it appearing that floating fortress is using a tractor beam to pull our aircraft towards it," the man explained.

"Let us go!" Mokuba cried out, angrily.

The landing functions were activated and we docked. The dock opened and we were lowered to an indoor landing area.

"Are we safe?" asked Serenity.

"Of course," Joey lied, confidently.

The blimp landed and the TV screen flashed back to life.

"Thanks for dropping in, Seto. Time for you and your friends to exit the ship," said the boy, Noah.

"And what if we don't?" Kaiba demanded.

Noah laughed. "I'm afraid at this point, refusal is not an option," he said. There was the sound of moving metal outside and guns emerged from the walls around us.

"Do what he says," said Tristan.

"This kid's nuts," said Joey.

"You all stay here," Kaiba said, walking towards the door.

"Kaiba, don't," said Yugi.

"Look, this is my battle, Yugi. Don't do me any favors," Kaiba snapped.

"You are still such an ass," I commented.

"Mokuba, you are not to leave this ship," Kaiba said. He looked at the TV screen. "Noah, I'll be coming out to you alone. Any questions?"

The guns went off. Instinctively, we ducked, covering our heads.

"Care to reconsider your decision?" Noah asked, as bullets pelted the sides of the blimp. "Now let's try this again, shall we, Seto? Please exit the ship. _With_ your friends."

Silently, we all exited.

As Kaiba descended the stairs, he said, "Let me handle this."

"Look," said Joey, "I don't know what this kid's beef is with you, but now it's our problem too, so just get over yourself."

A door in the wall slid open, revealing a hallway, and Noah's voice echoed around the metal room from some speakers. "Now, if you'll all continue ahead, we can continue this party," he said.

"What's going on?" Marik asked me.

I shrugged. "I have no idea," I whispered aloud.

"Remember when you said something didn't feel right?" he asked.

"Sure," I said, attracting a weird look from both Serenity and Duke for talking to myself. Everyone else was probably used to my random bouts of crazy behaviour by now.

"I think I'm going to start trusting your instincts more," Marik thought.

"Serenity, I want you to stay here where you're safe, okay?" Joey said to his sister.

"Joey, we're a team," Serenity responded.

"She's safer with us anyway," Tristan pointed out. "That creep, Marik, is back there."

"Funny story," I thought, smiling to myself as we all walked forward and down the hallway.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Yugi.

"Just continue to the end of the hallway where my associate's will greet you," said Noah. "They're especially excited to see _you_, Mister Kaiba."

Another door opened and we entered a large metal room.

"What is this place?" asked Mokuba.

"Is there anybody out there?" called Tea.

The far wall lit up with a blinding white light and we all covered out eyes.

"Show yourselves!" Kaiba demanded.

There were several laughs.

"With pleasure," said one man.

"Wait," said Kaiba, in shock, lowering his arm as the light dimmed slightly and our eyes grew accustomed to it. "It can't be..."

There were five men standing in front of us and I Was sure I'd recognized them. The five of them used to work for Kaiba Corp. I'd met them on several occasions when Kaiba and I had been dating.

"You should have known we'd be back, Seto Kaiba," said the man in the front. "For revenge. Surprised to see us again?"

"You know these five suits, man?" asked Tristan. "What's going on here?"

"Suddenly, I feel really underdressed," Duke commented, trying to lighten the mood.

"Me too," I muttered. I was still only in my shorts and tank top. I caught Duke's eye and he winked at me. I casually flipped him off.

"I can't put my finger on it, but something about these guys seems really familiar to me," said Yugi.

"These are the five creeps that tried to get rid of Seto and take over Kaiba Corp," said Mokuba. "Gansley, Crump, Johnson, Nesbit, and Lector. Also known as the big five."

"That's right!" Joey exclaimed. "They trapped Kaiba in cyber land until we saved him."

"I think I'm missing something..." I said.

"You were in Egypt," said Tea. "This was last summer."

"They were hired by my step father to serve as Kaiba Corps board of directors, but that wasn't enough power for them," Kaiba said. I wasn't sure if he was explaining for my benefit or if he just wanted to talk. "So they trapped me and tried to destroy me using my own virtual technology and take over my company. The five of them were trapped here when they were defeated din a duel against Yugi and me."

"I see," I said.

"When those corporate freaks lost, they were imprisoned in the virtual world instead of Seto," said Mokuba.

"You do remember us, don't you, Miss Olive?" asked Johnson. "We'd be so insulted if you didn't. Your sweet little face just lit up the office building. We met you when you were still dating Mister Kaiba."

"That's right," said the man in the front. I think it was Crump. "Did you honestly believe you'd seen the last of us? We wandered through cyberspace for what seemed like an eternity thinking of one question over and over - how could we get revenge for our suffering?"

"We finally found our answer the day that Noah hacked into Kaiba Corps mainframe," said Gansley.

"Once we discovered that we all shared a common enemy in Seto Kaiba, naturally Noah uploaded our minds to his system," said Nesbit.

"So you guys are virtual?" asked Tea.

"I defeated you once and I can easily do it again," Kaiba threatened.

"We plan to give you every opportunity to do so, Kaiba, for we've devised a new game with Noah's help," said Crump. "It's a game you're quite familiar with. It's a duel monsters tournament - a virtual duel monsters tournament, that is. You're all invited to participate."

"Great," I muttered. "Just great."

"But why do you want to duel us?" Yugi asked.

"Our minds have been trapped in this virtual prison for so long that we've lost our bodies," said Gansley.

"But," said Nesbit, "if we defeat you in Noah's virtual arena, then we'll return to the real world in your bodies."

I laughed a little, without thinking first and received several looks of shock and some glares.

"Now, it's time to pay a visit to our special dueling world," said Gansley. "I'm sure you'll find this world unlike anything you've ever seen."

The entire room lit up and then seemed to turn blue, like a computer screen, and form a tunnel that we seemed to fall through. I heard Tea scream. When we opened our eyes, we were laying on the grass, surrounded by a jungle.

"What is this place?" asked Tea.

"Looks like a jungle," said Joey.

"Weren't you geeks listening?" asked Kaiba, helping me to my feet. The earth spun and felt like it was tilting. Dizzily, I stumbled sideways and then sunk back to the ground. The feeling of something being wrong flooded my mind again.

"Olive, are you okay?" asked Marik.

"Something bad is going to happen," I thought.

"Something bad is already happening," Marik responded. "We're in some weird...world..." he commented, glancing around through my eyes.

"You don't understand," I responded. "Marik, something weird is happening inside my head...I can't explain it, but I feel like..."

I looked up and saw a virtual Kaiba standing across from some duel monster. The big five, their voices coming out of nowhere, explained that each duelist would have to choose a deck master and then battle one another. They said each deck monster had a special ability and if they deck master was destroyed, the battle was lost. Regardless of life points, you automatically lost and one of the big five would take over a body.

The world began to flash and shake and we were back in the same room we were in before.

"You're trapped," said Lector, "all of you. And your only chance of escape is to defeat each of us in a duel."

"There's no way you're gonna get away with this," said Mokuba.

"If we stick together, they won't stand a chance!" said Yugi.

"Don't worry," said Duke. "I got your back, man."

"Me too," Tristan agreed.

"Pass the jam," said Joey. "Cuz these guys are toast."

"Hold on, guys," said Tea. "They never said which of us would actually have to duel."

One of the big five laughed. "Just to be sure that you all suffer equally, we'll be dueling against every one of you brats," he said. I think it was Gansley.

I frowned, thoughts running frantically through my mind.

"I can't duel!" I thought, panicked. "I've never dueled before! I don't even think I know how."

"I can help you, Olive," Marik thought back. "It's the least I can do."

My nerves were not soothed.

"Remember, we need five bodies," said Lector. "So the first five of you we defeat will have the privilege of having our minds uploaded to your bodies while your minds are trapped here."

"In your dreams," Kaiba sneered.

"Ever since you trapped us here, all we have are our dreams," said Johnson.

They laughed.

"You crooks haven't changed a bit," Kaiba commented bitterly.

"Let's start this party! You five stiffs are going down!" Joey declared.

"Who's going down?" they asked.

The floor beneath Joey's feet opened up into a hole and he fell through. It closed quickly behind him.

"Joey!" Serenity cried out.

"As you can see, before the dueling begins, we plan to separate all of you," said Johnson.

Tea was falling through a hole before anyone knew what was happening. Before the hole had even closed up behind her, Serenity was gone as well. Tristan and Duke disappeared next. Mokuba ran for his brother and the two of them fell through a hole.

I looked at Yugi. We were standing too far apart to make it to each other.

I smiled a little and raised my hand in farewell, a flash of the future assaulting me before I fell.

"Don't let me forget..." I called out to Yugi.

"What?" he asked, looking confused.

But I was already gone. There was pain, everywhere, and worse than ever before. I felt like I was being flattened and stretched out thin, like a piece of play dough. I felt like I was being drowned and burnt alive at the same time. Inside my mind, I could hear...someone shouting. It seemed to drag on for hours, images and lights flashing before my eyes, while my head pounded. Finally, darkness settled in.

I opened my eyes slowly and sat up. I looked around, confused. Everything seemed enhanced. I could hear better, see better, smell better. I could feel every muscle in my body when I turned my head, every heartbeat pulsing through my body, and every breath.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"Olive?" demanded the voice inside my mind. "Olive, are you okay?"

I stood up. My body felt surreal, as if I were both in it but also out of it, watching myself, at the same time. I turned in a circle, observing my surroundings, and looking up to observe the sky as well. The pounding my head finally died down and I asked, out loud, "Who's Olive?"


	39. The Trouble with Memories

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The voice that I'd heard in my head fell silent and I could tell that whoever had been talking to me was stunned. I paused to listen, waiting to see if whoever it was would reply. I could feel their thoughts racing through my own thoughts. Everything was going so fast that I didn't have time to catch onto one thought before the next thought was there. Along with the thoughts came a rush of emotions that seemed to meld with my own thoughts and emotions.

Finally, amused, I spoke. "Hello, Voice? Are you still there?" I asked, out loud.

"My name is _not_ voice, _Olive_," the voice sneered.

"Now there's that Olive name again," I commented, with a little smile. I looked around me, curiously, trying to make sense of where I was. There were trees behind me and I could see water in the distance.

The voice was silent again. It was almost like the voice wasn't sure if I was being serious or not.

"That's you. You're Olive," said the voice.

"Oh?" I asked. "Are you sure about that, Voice?"

"What? Olive! Of course I'm sure!" he said. "And my name is not Voice. Quit calling me that."

"And who, may I ask, are you?" I asked, politely, with a small laugh.

"I'm Marik," said the voice.

"Interesting," I said. "And why are you in my head?"

"Because when you were sick and basically too weak to stop me, I decided to invade your mind," he said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Just think of the nicest way to say 'possession' and that's what I did," he said. "My soul can't survive on its own and I needed a body."

"So you invaded _my_ body?" I asked, frowning. "That's a little awkward."

The voice, Marik, laughed.

"And can you take over my body?" I asked.

"If I want to, I suppose," he said. "And if you're weak enough."

"I see," I said. "So. Why me, Voice?"

"Because you're powerful and interesting," he said. "There's so much about you that I'm just trying to figure out."

"Oh yea?" I asked. "And have you figured anything out because I've got some questions myself."

"I know. About your powers and your past, right?" he asked.

A wave of confusion hit me. I almost stumbled. I felt as if I'd been hit with a train. I felt my lower lip tremble when I took in a sharp breath. I frowned, straining to remember and understand what the Marik person was talking about.

"You really don't remember?" he asked.

Discouraged, I frowned. "You're the one in my head, Voice. I mean, Marik," I snapped. "Why don't you tell me? What happened? How did we get here?"

"We're in a virtual world," said Marik. "That's all I caught, really. I wasn't paying much attention because I didn't predict you'd be suffering from amnesia."

"I think I'm missing out on something," I said.

"You think?" asked Marik, sarcastically.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"We should find your friends," said Marik. "Maybe they can help."

"Who are my friends?" I asked. "And where should be look?"

"Just start walking," said Marik, sounding irritated. "You walk, and I'll try to explain."

With a sigh, I started towards the reflection of the water in the distance.

"You lived in a place called Egypt thousands of years ago," said Marik. "You had been alive long before that, but when you stumbled upon ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh there helped you learn to manage your powers and you protected him in return. You studied with his priests and priestesses and they learned from you as well. You helped create the items called the Millennium Items and when the Pharaoh died, you served his son. You were his most trusted advisor."

"This sounds like a fairy story," I said.

"Maybe, but it's not," said Marik.

"How do you know so much about me?" I asked.

"Because I've been studying you for years. We have never found a beginning for you and there isn't an end. Since the human brain can only process so much, you have years, millennia, of repressed memories filed away. Ancient Egypt is where you first showed up consistently and where, as far as we know, you learned to manage your incredible powers. But you have appeared throughout history under different names in different places whenever great leaders have needed you. But this is the first life where you have appeared with your ancient name, Olive. You were brought here to serve the Pharaoh. He was reincarnated to save the world once again."

"Now I understand why we're in a virtual world," I commented, sarcastically.

"It figures sarcasm is the first trait you'd pick up on," said Marik. "Look, I'm not exactly sure what happened, but we were trapped in this virtual world along with some of your friends by these...people. I'm not sure what they want. Our bodies or something. Although, you would be useless to them."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Because even if your mind was trapped here, my mind would still be in your body," Marik explained. "And besides, as far as I know, a normal human wouldn't be able to keep your memories and magic under control the way that you can."

"I see," I said, slowly.

"For now, we should focus on finding your friends," said Marik.

"You have no idea why I can't remember anything?" I asked, feeling slightly let down. Waking up in a strange place would have been confusing enough _with_ my memories. Having no idea who I was, despite what the voice in my head was telling me, was even more confusing.

"I have a theory..." Marik began.

"Hello?" I heard someone shout. "Can anybody hear me? Where am I?"

"Is that one of my _friends_?" I asked.

"I don't know who else it would be," said Marik.

"Hello?" I shouted back. "It's..._Olive_! Who's there?"

"Olive?" I heard the voice yell back and I saw someone standing near the water.

I ran towards the person. She was smaller and shorter than me. She was wearing denim shorts, a yellow t-shirt, and a pink vest. She had long red hair and looked very afraid. "Olive!" she cried out again. She looked so relieved. She threw her arms around me. "It's so good to see you! I was so afraid."

"Yea," I said, patting her back, awkwardly. "I...where are we?"

"Don't you remember what the Big Five told us? We're trapped in this virtual world. They want to trap our minds in this world so that they can take over our bodies in the real world," said the girl.

"Right," I said, slowly.

"Olive?" asked the girl.

For a second, I didn't respond and then I remembered. "Oh, right," I said. "Olive. Yes?" I asked.

She looked at me strangely.

I sighed. "Look," I said. "I don't know what happened to me, but I can't remember anything. I think we're friends, right? Can you please tell me your name?"

"Are you joking?" she asked.

"I wish I was," I said.

"Serenity," said the girl. "I'm Serenity Wheeler, Joey's little sister. I hope we're friends. You're friends with my brother, anyway."

"Okay," I said. "Serenity. That's a really pretty name."

"Thank you," said Serenity. She paused for a moment to watch me, concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I feel fine," I said. "I just can't remember anything, but we should find our friends."

Serenity nodded. "Maybe they can help jog your memory," she said. "We've gotta find my brother."

"Okay," I said. I shuddered. "I feel like someone's watching us. Who else are we looking for?"

Serenity opened her mouth to answer, when we heard a rumbling in the distance, almost like thunder. The ground began to shake and I looked at the ground.

"Is this...normal?" I asked.

"There's something coming," said Serenity, pointing.

I looked at where she was pointing and we both peered into the distance. By the time we saw what it was, we realized we needed to get away. It was some sort of animal with a rough hide, horns on its face, and a shell on its back like a turtle.

Serenity screamed.

"Come on!" I said, grabbing her hand. I spun around and began to run.

The creature kept chasing us, snorting and roaring angrily. After several minutes, as our bodies began to tire, we were getting closer to what looked like a castle. Serenity let out a whimper. I glanced at her and saw tears forming in her eyes.

"Don't cry, Serenity," I gasped out. "It...wastes...energy..."

She let out a sound like a sob, but I ignored her and tightened my grip on her hand.

She screamed again. "Someone!" she cried. "Anyone! Please! Help us!"

I heard someone shout something and looked up. There was a person falling through the air. He landed on the creatures back and Serenity stumbled. I dragged her back to her and we both turned to look at him.

"Tristan!" Serenity cried out. "Be careful."

"You know him?" I asked.

Someone else grabbed hold of my wrist and dragged the two of us out of the way.

"Come on," he said. "I've got you."

The person on the creatures back covered its eyes and it went racing into the water.

"Thank you, Duke," Serenity was telling the person who had pulled us out of the way. "That was so brave."

"Aw, please, it was nothing," said the person she was calling Duke.

"You've got to be kidding me," said the other person, pulling himself out of the water.

"Tristan!" she cried. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," he said. "How did the two of you find each other?"

Serenity and I looked at each other. Slowly, I looked away, glancing sideways at the ground. Already my memories of how I'd found Serenity were starting to seem hazy and far away.

"Um, Olive heard me shouting for someone," said Serenity. "Then that monster thing came out of nowhere and we started running."

"Olive, are you okay?" asked Duke. "Olive?" he repeated, reaching out to touch my arm.

I jumped.

"You're Olive, remember?" said the voice in my head.

"Oh, right," I said. "Sorry. Yea. I'm okay." I looked at Serenity. I studied her face and repeated her name in my head several times. "Are there other people we need to find?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yea," she said.

"Let's start walking then," I suggested.

"Sure," said Serenity.

"She doesn't seem too happy to see us," I heard Tristan murmur behind my back.

"She's been acting strange," Serenity told him. "Maybe she hit her head when she fell."

I stopped walking and covered my face with my hands. Having no memories hadn't bothered me too much when it was just me and the voice in my head, all alone. With no one else there, I hadn't felt awkward or out of place, but now that I was surrounded by people who apparently knew me, I felt very alone.

Someone touched my back and I turned. It was Duke.

"Hey," he said. "Don't be sad. We'll figure this out." He pulled me into a hug.

"Olive..." I heard the voice in my head say. "It will be okay."

"I don't know who I am," I whispered. "How can it be okay?"


	40. Dazed and Confused

**A/N :: I'm sorry it's been SO long since I've updated! I've been meaning to get back to the story, I've just been super busy. I'm in the process of packing, getting ready to move back to the states, but I'm back! Enjoy the chapter and review :)**

* * *

Chapter Forty

"Hey, Olive," said the voice in my head. He was trying to sound sympathetic and comforting, the way that someone might talk to a frightened or confused child. "It's going to be okay. Just...try to focus on one thing at a time."

"You're right," I thought. I forced myself to take a deep breath. I turned around to return Duke's hug and rested my head against his chest. "Duke," I whispered. "Duke." I had to start somewhere. I had to remember someone's name, because even looking at the red-haired girl and the other guy who was standing with her, I felt confusion hit me. I had no idea what their names were. At least they looked familiar.

"See," said Duke. He smiled down at me and brushed my hair out of my eyes. "It's going to be okay. You'll get your memories back, gorgeous."

I felt my face flush, instantly embarrassed, which was a strange feeling as well. I stepped back and he took my hand.

"Olive," asked the other guy. I turned to look at him, trying my hardest to remember his name. "I don't really know what happened to your memory, but can you hear anyone's thoughts?"

I opened my mouth to say, "Just the one in my head," but the voice in my head quickly insisted that I shouldn't mention him. I shut my mouth and thought for a minute. "What do you mean?" I finally asked.

"I don't know how to explain this and it's going to make me sound crazy, but after we met you, you started being able to read people's thoughts sometimes," he said. "I just wanted to know...if you could hear the thoughts of any of our friends."

I pursed my lips and shook my head. "No," I said. "I'm not totally sure what you mean, but my head seems pretty quiet. For the most part." His face fell and I felt terrible, like I was letting someone down. "I'm really sorry," I added. "I wish I could help you."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Just try to feel better, okay?"

"Yea, listen to Tristan, "said the girl. "It's going to be okay. We'll figure this out together."

I smiled, awkwardly and took a step closer to the guy holding my hand. He tried to hide a smile and I glanced sideways at him. I felt my face grow hot again and I looked away. "Duke," I thought. "Duke."

"We should probably start walking," suggested the girl. Duke and the other guy nodded in agreement.

"Who else are we looking for?" I asked. "I mean, can you describe them to me? I feel stupid. I know it's crazy, but please..."

"Don't worry about it, Olive," said the guy, with sympathy that made me feel almost ashamed that I didn't know what was going on.

"My brother Joey has blonde hair and he's tall," said the girl. "Tea has short brown hair and she was wearing a short skirt, I think, and bracelets."

"Okay," I said. It was still confusing, but at least I had something to go off of.

"Seto Kaiba has brown hair and a long coat. He's taller than Joey. And his little brother, Mokuba, has long dark hair," said the other guy.

I nodded.

"Yugi..." the girl began.

"Yugi," I whispered, a feeling like an electric shock running through my body.

I felt the voice inside of my head jump, as if he'd felt the shock too. "Olive, what are you doing?" he demanded.

Duke let out a cry and stepped back. The second he let go of my hand, our eyes met and I almost grimaced as this incredible feeling overtook me. I don't know what it looked like to the three of them, but I felt this bizarre feeling go through my body. I could see their mouths moving, as they shouted at me, but I couldn't hear them or talk. There was a sound like rushing water or a loud wind surrounding me and there was a nauseating jolt in my stomach.

"I don't think so," I heard someone say, or think. "You might be talking to yourself like some nut and pulling some sort of trick right now, but you can't just disappear and reappear wherever you want, stupid girl." I wasn't sure if it was out loud or if it was in my head. I tried to look around, but I felt like I couldn't move. For the slightest moment, I felt like I was suspended in water and then, with a scream, I went crashing to the ground.

Once again.

"Olive?" I heard someone say and, before the voice could, I reminded myself that Olive was my name.

I sat up slowly, my arms shaking a little bit, and groaned. My body was aching. For a second, I just sat on the ground, stunned, and then someone had thrown their arms around me, knocking me back to the ground. I let out a cry of surprise and scrambled backwards and to my feet. I backed away nervously and straight into someone else.

"Olive, are you okay?" asked the second person.

I looked around me. I was in a forest and the first person who had hugged me was a younger kid with long dark hair. I peered at him. He didn't seem upset that I'd practically run away from him. He just seemed happy to see me. Finally, I turned around to look up at the guy I'd run into. He was taller than me by quite a bit, with dark hair and the most beautiful blue eyes I'd ever seen.

"Olive?" he repeated, looking confused. "Hey, are you alright?" he made a move to touch my face or my shoulder and I immediately stepped backwards.

He looked surprised or hurt, but I wasn't sure why or who he was. I pursed my lips and looked him up and down, studying him carefully. There was something so familiar about him. I could swear I recognized him. Or at least, my feelings did. There was a familiar feeling in my head that felt almost...intimate. Like I wanted to tell him everything about myself, which I couldn't understand. I also felt conflicted, like I was drawn to him, but like there was something about him that made me want to stay away at the same time.

What had those other people said?

Taller than Joey. With dark hair and a little brother.

"Seto?" I whispered. I turned to look at the younger kid. "Mokuba," I said. "I don't...remember..."

Before I could react and step away from him again, Seto had stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. It was an action that somehow felt both overeager and hesitant. It felt like an intimate action and my heart began to race. It was very confusing. I stiffened for a second and then relaxed and, awkwardly, put my arms around him.

"I didn't think we'd be seeing you after Noah separated us in this world," he said, softly. He looked down at me, keeping his hands firmly on my waist. He wasn't holding me tightly, but I could tell that he wasn't about to let me walk away.

"I..." I began and then I paused. I wasn't sure what to say to this person I barely knew. I felt like my thoughts were screaming at me and like my emotions were pulling me in all sorts of different directions. I sighed, frustrated. "I can't remember anything," I admitted.

Kaiba smiled, amused. "You remembered my name," he said. "Is this some sort of joke, Olive?"

I shook my head slowly. "Look, I know it's weird and I'm sorry. Everything's getting fuzzy. I can barely remember where I came from, but I remember someone called Duke and two other people." I squeezed my eyes shut, frustrated, trying to remember. "I told them I can't remember. They think I hit my head when I fell here or something. They described you to me and told me your name. They said something that made my head go weird and I disappeared." I felt my lower lip quiver slightly when I spoke again. "Can you help me?" I asked, feeling as pathetic as I probably sounded.

"What do you mean you can't remember anything?" asked Mokuba, walking closer to the two of us. He'd been observing our embrace with a sort of amused smile, so similar to his older brother's, on his face.

"I don't know what happened, but I fell or something and then I was here," I said. "It took me a minute to even remember my own name. Then..." I paused. "I'm not sure what happened after that, but I remember running and I was with other people. And now..." I broke off and looked from Mokuba to Seto, realizing how strange I probably sounded to them. It even sounded crazy to me and I was the one speaking.

"Is this something to do with your magic obsession?" asked Seto.

"I'm not sure what you mean," I said. "Sorry."

He reached out to touch my face softly, momentarily forgetting that his little brother was there. I felt my breath catch in my throat and my eyes widened a little bit. I fought to control my breathing as my heart began to beat wildly out of control. My emotions felt heightened and out of control, the way they had when I'd first fallen into this place. His fingers slipped into my hair and he stared into my eyes. My knees felt weak.

For a second, I was sure that he was going to kiss me. But then he stepped away and threw an embarrassed glance at his little brother. Mokuba was still watching us with a little smirk on his face.

"We need to find a way out of here," said Mokuba, after a stretch of awkward silence.

Kaiba pushed a button on his collar and spoke into it. "Kaiba Craft three, do you read me? Is anyone out there?" he asked.

"Still can't get through? What's the deal?" Mokuba asked him.

Kaiba made an annoyed sound and said, "Listen, this place was designed to keep us from outside contact. But that won't stop me. Let's go." He looked at me. "Both of you."

I watched the two of them walk a few steps before they turned back to look at me.

"Olive, come on," Kaiba demanded.

"Um..." I hesitated. Technically the two of them were strangers.

"I think you're safe with them," I heard the voice in my head whisper. Even the voice seemed to be fading away. Every time he spoke, his voice was softer. "I feel far away, Olive. Something is happening in your mind, with your memories and your powers. Just...if I'm not able to stay with you..."

I waited, but the voice was gone.

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head. "I was distracted."

"Olive, we don't have time to waste," said Kaiba. "Come on." He held out his hand and, without thinking, I reached out and took it. The corners of his lips twitched, like he was fighting a smile as I fell in step beside him. "Maybe it'd be best if you _don't_ get your memories back," he said and I couldn't tell if he meant it or if he was teasing.

"Why is that?" I asked, curiously.

"No reason," he said. "This is just nice. I've missed you."

I paused, awkwardly. "Do you...not normally see me?" I asked.

He smiled.

"Seriously," I said, trying not to smile. "How well do we know each other?"

"Well enough, for now," said Kaiba.

Mokuba laughed a little bit and I looked at him, confused.

"After today, I never want to see a virtual tree again," Mokuba declared, changing the subject.

"It figures," said Kaiba. "That punk, Noah, must be keeping us trapped here because he's too terrified to face me face-to-face."

A laugh echoed through the air and I practically jumped out of my skin. But it was gone as suddenly as I'd heard it.

"Are you okay?" asked Kaiba.

"Yes," I said. "Sorry. I thought...I thought I heard something."

The air in front of us shimmered and a door appeared. The three of us stopped walking and looked at the door. Without really thinking about it, I stepped closer to Kaiba, nervous. Mokuba gasped.

"Check it out, Seto," he said. "Another door. Should we go?"

"Of course," said Kaiba. He let go of my hand and walked forward decisively. For a second, I felt sad, but almost immediately, I began to forget why I'd cared at all. "Let's see where that punk's leading us now." He opened the door and walked inside.


	41. A Day at the Beach

Chapter Forty-One

Mokuba, who was eager to stay close to his brother, was right on his heels, following him through the doorway. For a moment, I hesitated. I didn't _have_ to stay with these two people that I barely knew, even if they did seem nice enough. I could try to find a way back to...who was it? The other people that I'd been with. But I could barely recall their faces now. How would I find them, especially with the voice in my head fading in and out? And what if I ran into someone who wasn't quite as friendly? With an exasperated sigh, I followed the two brothers through the door and it closed noiselessly behind me.

"We're back at home at Kaiba Corp," Mokuba said.

"It's a virtual simulation of my office," said Kaiba, sounding shocked.

"This world is virtual?" I asked, feeling somewhat relieved that it was not, in fact, normal for doors to appear in the middle of nowhere.

"This is _my_ office," came a sneer from the desk and chair across the room from us. The chair spun around and revealed the man sitting in it. He was wearing an expensive looking suit made of red material. His graying hair was slicked back, his mustache thick, but neatly trimmed, and his dark brown eyes cold and unforgiving under two thick eyebrows. Kaiba's eyes widened in surprise and suddenly there was someone else standing in front of the three of us. "No one disturbs me here."

"I know that," said the younger boy in front of us. It took me a second to realize that the reason he seemed so familiar was because he was a younger version of Seto Kaiba. "But I'm sick and tired of waiting to talk to you and I have something important to say."

"Seto, it's another virtual scene from the past," said Mokuba.

Kaiba gritted his teeth angrily. "I know this. It's the day I was finally able to work up the courage to confront our stepfather," he said.

"You're here to talk about your invention, right?" asked the man, his voice a mixture of contempt and mocking. He picked up a stack of papers and began to look through them rather than look little Seto respectfully in the eyes. "Look, kid, I've already told you: it's no good."

"Do you have any idea how long it took me to design that virtual video game software?" little Seto demanded. "You just can't admit that _I_ invented something _you_ never could!"

"Right," the real Kaiba, standing next to me muttered under his breath.

"This little game of yours is of no use to me," said Seto's stepfather, uninterested.

"Open your eyes," the younger Kaiba sneered. "The software I've created could make this company billions of dollars!"

"That's enough, you little brat!" his stepfather shouted, getting to his feet and slamming the papers down on the desk. His temper had finally snapped. "We don't make children's toys here! Kaiba Corp is my company and we make vehicles for combat. No listen here, if you're going to take over this company some day, you're going to have to forget about your games. I adopted you so you can learn my family business - the business of fighting battles, defeating your enemies and rising to ultimate power!" he declared.

"No way! You're insane!" said the younger Kaiba.

"Guards, take my stepson away," said the man. Two men in identical dark suits and sunglasses stepped forward and seized the boy by the arms.

"Take your hands off me! You can't treat me like this!" the younger Seto said. He began to struggle and so the two men picked him up and went to carry him out of the office. "You'll be sorry, you old fool!"

The real Kaiba, who was next to me, was watching his stepfather with hate in his eyes. He seemed furious, even now.

The scene faded around us and we were back in the forest.

"Seto," said Mokuba, "we're back in Noah's virtual forest."

"I wouldn't call it Noah's forest, Mokuba," said Kaiba. "Because whoever helped Noah create this place is using the same virtual technology that our stepfather stole from me. Even though it's been enhanced, the basic program is the same."

"That's true," Mokuba said.

"I have a feeling it's no coincidence," said Kaiba, closing his eyes in frustration. "I just have to remember that everything we see here is an illusion, because all of these memories are messing with my head. Noah," he said, raising his voice. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I'll find out! I know you can hear everything I say and no matter what you're after or who's helping you, you'll never succeed! Never. So if you're so powerful, why don't you come down here and face me, you coward?"

A few minutes of silence passed. Mokuba, who I was sure was used to his brother's temper, was leaving him alone, but I felt an overwhelming need to help him or to fix things somehow. He just looked so angry and so upset. It made me feel inexplicably sad to see him so upset.

I reached out, slowly, to touch his arm. He jumped and I shrunk away from him, afraid he might swing around and hit me or something. His features were contorted with anger when he turned to look at me. But when he saw me, fear in my eyes, he caught himself and was able to pause. He took a deep breath and his features softened.

"Don't..." he started. He reached out a hand to me. "Don't look at me like that, Olive. Don't be afraid of me, please."

Still nervous, I held back, watching him carefully.

"Come here, Olive," he said. "Please."

I hesitated, watching him. Distrust was welling up inside of me.

He raised one eyebrow and gave a little laugh of derision. He withdrew his hand, rolled his eyes, and turned away from me. "Come on. Both of you. Let's go," he said.

"What is wrong with both of you?" Mokuba muttered under his breath.

I pursed my lips and followed in silence.

It felt like we'd been walking forever when we found another door. I guess the two brothers had been through a couple of doors already. Every so often, I had to look at them and remind myself of their names. I'd forgotten how I'd gotten to them or where I was, but at least I was with two consistent people. Even if one of them was ignoring me.

"Maybe this door will lead us back home," said Mokuba. He twisted the handle and the three of us walked through it. I looked around. We were standing on a beach. The sky was an array of fiery-sunset colors that the ocean reflected. It was warm. I smiled at little at how comfortable it felt. "Guess not," said Mokuba, dejectedly.

Kaiba sighed. "Oh well," he said. "At least it's a change of scenery."

Mokuba ran out to the edge of the water, where the waves were lazily rolling back and forth. "Are you crazy?" he demanded, frustrated. "I don't wanna be on a virtual beach, in a virtual forest, or even in a virtual amusement park. I want out of here!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes and walked past his brother, allowing him to throw his fit without interrupting. Awkwardly, I followed.

After a second, Mokuba stopped and walked over to the two of us. "Sorry, Seto," he said. "I just had to get that off my chest. This place is really getting to me."

"Just relax," said Kaiba. "If you get upset, then you're letting Noah win." He turned his face to the sky and shouted, "Noah, show yourself! We're onto your little game and it won't work. You think you can wear us down by toying with our emotions, but you obviously don't know who you're dealing with."

We started to walk over the hills of sand, towards what looked like normal land.

"This is even worse than that never ending virtual forest," Mokuba complained.

But Kaiba wasn't listening. He'd noticed something in the sand that, from far away had looked like some metal object reflecting the light. Now I could see it was a television. "Hold on, Mokuba," said Kaiba. He knelt down and I sat down near him, but not too close. "It's Noah."

The boy on the screen was wearing a sort of white uniform, it's hems embroidered with purple designs. His hair was a turquoise color with bangs that fell into his eyes, but it was the eyes that surprised me. They were so blue. And they were so serious. They almost reminded me of Kaiba's.

"Time out," said Noah. "Stop the duel."

"Noah, you can't, sir. Please!" someone else said. "I'm only a few moves away from taking over this fool's body."

"You don't deserve that prize, Johnson," Noah sneered. "Not after what you just pulled."

"So, he is a cheater," said another voice. It was some blond kid in a white and blue t-shirt. He sounded so familiar.

"Sad to say, it's true," said Noah. "The honorable judge man is nothing but a fraud who's been cheating you since the very beginning. He's been using my virtual technology to tamper with your dice rolls."

The blond guy began to shout angrily.

"But I couldn't risk losing this!" the other man, who looked like some sort of monster, protested. "I can't take living in this virtual prison one moment longer. It's torture."

"Your excuses bore me!" said Noah. "I brought you five into my world with the understanding that under my leadership you would defeat Seto Kaiba and his little friends. But if you cheat, then I can't prove that I'm truly more deserving than him."

"Than me?" asked Kaiba, sounding confused. "More deserving of what?"

"For years, I've lived in Seto's shadow, always trying to prove that _I'm_ the better one," Noah continued. Both Seto and Mokuba had looks of utter confusion on their faces. "That _I_ should be the president of Kaiba Corp, not him, and it's about time I've proven to Gozaboro Kaiba that he should have left to company to me, not him."

Kaiba looked shock. "What?" he gasped. But almost immediately, the look of shock on his face twisted into anger. Watching him, I found myself wishing I could read his mind.

"Excuse me, boys," said the blond. "If I may interrupt this little quarrel for just a second. The defendant would like to speak."

"Sorry, but this doesn't concern you," Noah said to the blond. "Johnson, it's time for me to do something that I should have done the day I met you."

"Noah, please don't!" Johnson begged.

"Hello?" the blond interrupted again.

"What?" Noah snapped.

"Look, I'm willing to forgive judge gruesome, as long as he agrees to duel fair and square. Noah, if he wins, you still get to prove your strength. And if I win, I get to prove that Joey Wheeler doesn't sit back and let freaky looking frauds get the best of him!" he finished.

"Joey," I whispered, the tingling of recognition starting in the back of my head.

"Fine. Well, good luck," said Noah. "I hope you understand what you just did. The stakes of this duel still stand." He disappeared.

The television screen went grey with static and then turned off.

"Well," said Kaiba. "Let's rest for a while and then we'll try to find a way out of this desert."

I felt immediate relief. I hadn't realize it until that moment, but I was exhausted. Mokuba took off the yellow vest he was wearing and bunched it up to use as a pillow. He almost immediately fell asleep. With no jacket - I was dressed only in shorts and a tank top for some reason - I laid down near Mokuba, using my arm as a pillow to keep my head off of the sand. I listened to the sound of Mokuba's steady breathing, the occasional breeze, and the waves in the distance, but I didn't close my eyes. Everything was soothing, but I didn't want to sleep. I was afraid that if I did, I'd wake up in a completely new place with all of my memories gone again.

After a little while it started to get chilly. I sat up. To my surprise, Seto was sitting a little ways away, staring off in the direction of the ocean. He seemed deep in thought. For a minute, I thought I'd leave him alone. But there were things I wanted to ask him. I stumbled to my feet, clumsy in the sand, and walked over to him.

"Hey," I said, sitting next to him. I smiled, wishing that those blue eyes would smile back at me.

He barely glanced at me.

There was an awkward pause and then I asked, "So. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," he said.

"Are you lying?" I asked.

He smirked. "You tell me," he said. "You're the one who claims she can read minds."

"Do I?" I asked. "Well I can't anymore than, but that certainly explains some things. Everything feels so...quiet. Unnaturally so."

After another pause, he asked me, "Have you really forgotten everything?"

"Is that concern I detect, Mister Kaiba?" I asked.

"Hardly," he said, but he was trying hard to hide a smile.

"Yes," I said. "I really have forgotten most everything. I remember you name and there are other things that feel...familiar."

"Did you recognize Joey on the television?" he asked.

"He sounded familiar," I admitted. "Do I know him?"

"Yes," said Kaiba. "He's a friend of yours."

"Oh," I said. "So...how do you and I know each other?"

He looked at me, incredulously, and shook his head in disbelief. "You really don't remember?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I really don't remember," I repeated.

"We used to date," said Kaiba.

"Used to?" I asked. "What happened?"

"Well, there was a card game tournament. My brother got kidnapped and I had to go after him. There was a lot that I had to take care of," he said. "After the tournament, I thought things were getting better between us, but then you went away for the summer." He looked up at me. "And you never called before you left to tell me what was going on."

I thought about what he said, for a second. I was torn between thinking that it was ridiculous that he would care about something like that and feeling terrible for doing that to someone who had, obviously, cared so much about me. I wished I could remember.

"I'm sorry," I finally said, quietly. "If I ever get my memories back, I want to talk to you about this so I can tell you what I was thinking and why I did what I did. But I can't remember. I wish that I could."

He didn't answer. He just looked at me.

"Maybe we can start over?" I asked. "Maybe we can be friends."

"I want to try something," he said.

"Okay," I said quietly. "And what is that?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked me.

I paused, unsure how to answer.

"We're friends now, right?" he asked. There was the slightest hint of mocking in his tone. "So trust me."

"Fine," I said. A breeze picked up and I shivered against the cold. Even though the weather wasn't bad during the day, it'd grown increasingly colder after night fell.

"Cold?" he asked.

"Yea," I nodded.

He smiled. It was a smile mixed with all sorts of feelings. A sexy and taunting smile. "Good. Come here, I'll warm you up," he said. He held out a hand like he had earlier and I looked at it.

I smiled. "What do you want me to do?" I asked curiously.

"I want to try something," he repeated. He gave me a look. "You said you'd trust me, Olive. Give me your hand."

I got to my knees and reached out to take his hand. My eyes didn't leave his. I was trying to read his emotions. It seemed that he was thinking the same thing because he wouldn't take his eyes off of mine. Still holding hands, I walked on my knees towards him. I was smiling, but I didn't want to be. There was something so exciting about him. I was enthralled.

When I was closer to him, he yanked me closer to him wrapped his strong arms around me before I could agree or protest. His hands were around my slim waist and I knew that there was no way I could have pulled away. Assuming I had wanted to. Without hesitation, he moved his skillful, experienced hands up the back of my shirt. I gave a little gasp of surprise and my eyes widened when his fingertips touched the smooth skin of my back. He grinned at my reaction.

It took me a second, but I realized that he was trying to take off my shirt. With a cry of protest, I made a move to pull away, but he was still holding me firmly. Kaiba flipped me around, slamming me into the sand harder than I think he intended. He moved so fast I was surprised. I cried out again, but I didn't tell him to stop.

Kaiba knelt over me, straddling my hips, gazing down at me with a look full of superiority and desire. I knew he felt desire because I knew the same look was in my eyes too. He took off his jacket and threw it to the side. He pulled off his shirt next and I felt the desire well up inside of me. His arms, chest, and stomach were toned and defined. Without breaking eye contact, I sat up, slowly. He watched me, with a smile. I pulled my shirt over my head and threw it to where Kaiba's coat and shirt were. Then I leaned back, propping myself up with my elbows.

Kaiba's eyes scanned my body with a smile, an almost hungry look in his eyes. He moved closer until we were pressed together. His skin felt so warm against mine, but I could feel my skin growing hotter and hotter until it was almost feverish. I reached up with one hand and slid my fingers up the back of his neck until they were in his hair. I pulled him closer.

He leaned close to my ear and he whispered, "I could have any woman that I want, Olive. But you are the only one..."

"The only one who what?" I whispered back.

He smiled and kissed me, hard. My head was pressed back against the sand. I pulled him closer, my fingers in his hair, while his hands were all over my body.

"You're the only one that I want, Olive," he finally answered. "I have never cared about anyone like I do about you."

I wanted to answer, to say the same thing back to him, but I realized that I couldn't. I think he realized it at the same time that I did, because when I didn't answer he drew back, his eyes studying mine. I couldn't even remember dating him before. I could barely remember how I'd found him and his brother in the forest or where I'd come from before that.

"Would you even remember?" he asked me.

"What?" I asked.

"Later on," he said. "If anything happened, would you even remember being with me?"

I pursed my lips, not wanting to answer. Then, slowly, I shrugged. "I don't...I can't know that," I admitted.

With a sad smile, almost regretful, he smoothed my hair back from my face. He laid down beside me and I shivered, the cold air hitting my now more exposed body. I only had a bra on now, after all.

"Come here," he said, pulling me towards him. I laid on his chest and I felt a familiar feeling of comfort flood through my body. He wrapped his arms around me and I took a deep breath, both immensely comforted and disappointed.

"We don't have to stop," I said.

"Sure we do," he said. "If I didn't, you would really hate me if you ever get your memories back."

"What if I don't?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said. "I'll help you find a way, okay?"

"Alright," I said, after thinking for a minute.

He pulled me closer and I closed my eyes. I don't know how long it took, but in no time at all, I was asleep on his chest.


	42. Amongst Old Friends

Chapter Forty-Two

When I first opened my eyes, I blinked furiously in confusion. My vision shouldn't have been blurry, but, for a moment, the air around me looked almost like it was made of pixels. I sat up slowly, closing my eyes and shaking my head to try and clear my vision. Voices, some that seemed familiar and some that didn't, raced through my mind. They were talking, to each other or to me, I wasn't sure, but in a sped up way. With my eyes closed, I could almost see pictures in my mind, but they were also sped up, like fast forwarding a movie. "Memories," I thought, strangely enough. A dull, pulsing pain started in the back of my head. With each pulse, the pain seemed to spread slightly until my whole head was pounding. I took a deep breath, held it for a minute and the slowly breathed out in an effort to force myself to relax. Then I opened my eyes again.

For the slightest second, all of the colors that I was looking at seemed blurred together, almost like a water color painting. But it was only for a second. I may have even imagined it. Then everything looked normal again. We were still on the beach. For a second, I was confused, but then I looked at Kaiba, laying next to me, and I remembered.

"Sleep well?" asked a voice.

I jumped and looked around. When I saw nothing, I scrambled to my feet. I hurried over to where my shirt was still laying with Kaiba's coat and shirt. I grabbed it and began to put it on.

There was a laugh.

"Did I startle you?" the same voice asked again.

I jumped again, but got my shirt over my head. "What is going on?" I whispered, looking around again.

"It's me. Marik. In your head," said the voice, sounding amused, but also somewhat exasperated at the same time. There was a pause and then, "You forgot?"

"Marik?" I asked, trying to remember.

But then another, more familiar voice asked, "Why are you talking to yourself?"

I turned to see Kaiba. He was sitting up, one arm propped his knee, still shirtless. He smirked at me and I fought to control my emotions.

"I'm not," I answered, too quickly.

"Right," he said. He stood up and stretched. He caught me staring at his body and laughed a little. I blushed and looked away. He pulled on his shirt and his jacket and then gently woke Mokuba.

One long walk later, that involved too much wind and a lot of slipping all over the place in the sand, Kaiba stopped walking and peered into the distance. "Look, Mokuba," he said. "Isn't that Nesbitt's research lab? I always hated that place. I had no choice but to tear down that sweat shop," he explained to me. "His battle machines were useless in the new Kaiba Corp. Sometimes, starting over means erasing the past."

For some reason, his comment about the past made me frown. "I don't think you should erase the past, necessarily," I said, quietly.

"Oh yea?" he asked. "You can't even remember how we got here or where we came from. What would you know about the past?"

I shot him a mean looked and he rolled his eyes.

He looked up and called out, "You can't lead me around your world like a puppet forever, Noah!"

Since I was feeling particularly annoyed with him at the moment, I casually commented, "Technically, if he created this world, he can."

"Don't be a jerk," said Kaiba.

"Back at you," I snapped.

We stared at each other, coldly, for a moment. He looked like he might say something, but instead he rolled his eyes, again, and looked away. He started walking again. Mokuba stayed by his side, but I fell behind, slightly, too annoyed to walk beside him. We headed towards the research lab.

It probably didn't take as long as it felt like it did to reach the building. By the time we were there, I was complaining about my feet to Mokuba. He was chatting with me about who Nesbitt was and what he'd used his research lab for. When the sand became concrete, we both fell silent, as if sensing the new territory may contain something hostile.

Slowly, we walked forward.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes, as if sensing something.

I heard footsteps and looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"Hello, Kaiba," a deep voice suddenly said.

We stopped and Kaiba looked up. I followed his gaze to a guy who was standing on top of a building. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a white shirt, and a black jacket. He had brown hair and brown eyes and looked like he was holding something. There was something undeniably familiar about him, but when he spoke, I didn't recognize his voice.

"Look. It's Tristan," said Mokuba.

"Tristan?" I asked, vague, watery memories of him coming to the surface of my mind.

"Finally, a friendly face," the younger Kaiba brother kept talking. "Where's Yugi and the gang?"

I frowned. "I don't think..." I began.

But the man had already launched himself off the building. He held the thing in his hand, which turned out to me a wooden sword, ready for attack. He tried to bring it down on Mokuba's head, but he jumped aside. I stumbled backwards a few steps.

"Tristan, what are you thinking?" Kaiba demanded.

The man grinned, his eyes on Kaiba, and said, "My name's not Tristan." He straightened. "And I'm thinking about revenge."

"Who are you?" Kaiba demanded.

"Your worst nightmare!" he declared, running to attack again.

I tried to flatten myself against a wall, narrowly avoiding the swing meant for Kaiba. Kaiba dodged three blows and then threw something at him. Mokuba ran to stand by his brother and, cautiously, I followed. Then we heard a new voice.

"Look! It's Tristan!" said a short kid with blond, spiky hair. He was running towards us in a group of people.

"And Kaiba," said a girl with short, brunette hair. "And Mokuba."

"Olive?" asked a second girl, with long, red hair.

"Yugi," said Kaiba, as they reached us.

"Yugi," I whispered, my eyes fixing on the person I knew was Yugi. He was wearing a peculiar necklace around his neck that I felt drawn to. When I looked at it, the air around him almost seemed to glow.

"Tristan!" exclaimed the taller blond in the group. "I knew we'd track you down, pal."

"Are you okay?" asked the redhead.

"Why don't you kids run along?" our attacker asked.

Yugi gasped when he heard his voice.

"Wait a sec," said one of the others, a tall guy wearing all black, except for a red vest. He had his messy black hair pulled back, save for the pieces that fell in his deep green eyes. Eyes so green and beautiful, they almost made my knees weak. "You're not Tristan, you phony," he accused.

"Duke," I whispered, suddenly, ecstatic that I remembered him.

"What are you talking about?" asked the blond.

"Wait, Joey," said the redhead. "I think he's right."

Our attacker laughed. "Yes. I've taken over your friend's body," he said. "And now that that's over," he turned back to the three of us, "I can take care of you!" He charged. Kaiba dived to the side to grab a metal pipe that was on the ground, but he knocked it out of his hands. "Nice try," he taunted.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Kaiba.

He laughed. "Because you need to pay for what you did to me," he said. "Goodbye..." he lifted his weapon to swing again, but something leapt on his head.

"What's that?" asked Yugi.

"This is getting too weird," said the blond. He ran towards the man who wasn't Tristan, apparently, and shoved him into a wall. "Take that!" he said, as the wall crashed down. The others ran after the blond.

"Joey! It's still his body!" the brunette lectured. She ran over to the wall and looked inside. "Hello?" she called.

But a bright light shone out of the darkness and the brunette moved aside as our attacker came flying out on a motorcycle.

"What the..." I whispered.

He landed, narrowly missing Kaiba, who pulled me out of the way. But he grabbed Mokuba and pulled him onto the motorbike in front of him. "Kaiba, I've taken something from you, so we're even now."

"Come back, right now!" Kaiba shouted, positively seething with rage.

But he'd already driven away.

"Too late," said the blond. "He's gone."

"Mokuba!" Yugi shouted. He turned to look behind him, but Kaiba was already flying past me on his own motorcycle and was in the tunnel, down the road, and after them in an instant.

I immediately felt lost. Again.

"What now, guys?" asked Yugi.

"Kaiba's after the fake Tristan," said the blond, who I remembered the brunette had called Joey. "So we need to find out where the real one is."

"Joey's right," said the redhead.

Something bumped into my foot and I stooped to scoop up the thing that had attacked fake-Tristan's head. It looked like a small, robot monkey. It was brown, with a long tail, pink cheeks, cute little ears, and a face that lit up on a screen. It made a noise that sounded pleasant enough and I smiled a little.

The sound it made also drew the attention of Yugi and his friends.

"It's the robot runt again," said Joey. The five of them walked over to us and the monkey did a happy little dance while I tried not to drop it. "I don't trust this little rat."

"He's a monkey!" the redhead exclaimed. "How dangerous can he really be?" she reached out to pet him.

But Duke grabbed her wrist. "Wait, don't touch it, Serenity," he said. "For all we know, this chimp could be a trap."

The monkey was infuriated. Again, I hoped I wouldn't drop it.

"Good point, Duke," said Joey. "Maybe we should just take this guy apart."

I pulled the monkey protectively towards me.

"Yea, we could unscrew his head and take out his batteries," said Duke.

"No way!" Serenity, the redhead, exclaimed.

"Olive, you should put that thing down," he spoke to me.

"You know my name?" I asked, surprised.

He smiled, sympathetically. "Still having memory trouble?" he asked. "Come on, Olive, give me the monkey so I can disassembled it."

"Don't you lay a finger on him!" Serenity snapped.

"What's the problem, Serenity?" asked Joey.

"This little guy risked his life to save Kaiba," she said, heatedly.

"I guess that's a good thing," Joey muttered, though he didn't sound convinced.

Serenity walked over to me and patted the monkey's head. "And just look at him," she said. "He's adorable!" The monkey surprised me by leaping out of my hands and into Serenity's arms.

"Just do me a favor, okay?" Duke sneered. "Keep that _thing_ out of my face." He walked towards me and pulled me into a hug. I relaxed a little, but didn't hug him back. "Are you doing okay, gorgeous?" he asked.

"My name's Olive," I said.

"No way," he said, sarcastically. He kissed my forehead and then, arm around my shoulders, turned to look at everyone else. "I know you've been having memory problems, Olive, but you've gotta trust me. We're your friends. I'm Duke. That's Serenity, Joey, Yugi, and Tea," he pointed to everyone as he said their names. "Serenity, Tristan, and I explained to the others what happened to you. Sort of. You just disappeared a while ago and we didn't know what had happened to you then."

"I was with Kaiba," I said. "I guess he left me here."

"Well I'm here now," Duke purred. "Don't worry, baby. I'll keep you safe."

I tried to smile, but I think I just had an awkward sort of grimace on my face.

"Look, guys, we gotta get going," said Yugi. "The big five may have Tristan's body, but his mind's gotta be around here somewhere."

The monkey began chattering and pointing at himself.

"Zip it!" Joey yelled at him. "I've got my eye on you."

"Joey, stop!" Serenity exclaimed.

"They argue like brother and sister," I commented.

"They are brother and sister," said Tea. Even though my memory loss had been explained to here, apparently, she looked a little confused.

"Yea, although I think Serenity got all the looks in the family," said Duke.

"Hey!" Joey protested.

After a few more seconds, the boys went to look around for some mode of transportation. Possibly more motorbikes. I stood awkwardly apart from Tea and Serenity until Tea motioned me over. Serenity was cooing and baby talking the monkey who looked absolutely smitten with the girl.

"You okay?" asked Tea, pulling me into a hug.

"Oh, I'm getting lots of hugs today," I commented, although this time I hugged her back. "I guess I'm okay," I said, once we'd let go of each other. "I'm just kind of confused, that's all. Duke remembers me, I guess. Then I...I was just with Kaiba. I don't remember where we were, but I remember sand. Like a beach."

"Yea, it's all in your hair," Tea observed, running her fingers through my hair in a futile attempt to comb the sand and tangles out of it.

"We're friends?" I asked her.

She smiled, but there was a sort of sadness to her smile. "Yes," she nodded firmly. "We're really good friends, actually."

"And this world isn't real?" I asked.

"Nope," she said. "I'm not sure how it happened, but we were pulled into this world by someone named Noah."

"The boy with the turquoise hair," I said. "I saw him on a television screen."

"Sure," said Tea, nodding. She looked like she wasn't quite sure how to react.

The sound of an engine interrupted my next thought and I turned to see Joey driving up in a green pickup truck. Yugi and Duke were in the back. Duke jumped over the edge, instead of opening the back. First he helped Serenity in, giving the monkey a warning look. Then he helped Tea. After that, he climbed in himself and held out a hand to me. I tried to hide a smile and took his hand. He pulled me up and into the back of the truck.

Joey took off down the road in the direction Kaiba had driven in.


	43. Duel: Kaiba vs Lector

Chapter Forty-Three

"It's a good thing we found this virtual pick-up truck," said Duke, after we got out of the tunnel. We were on a bridge. I was sitting in one corner, Duke's around me. Serenity was sitting next to us, still holding the monkey while Tea sat near Yugi. Every so often, Tea and I made eye contact. She would glance at Duke and then wiggle her eyebrows suggestively, which made me have to stifle a laugh. Once in a while, she'd look at Yugi and her face would flush. Then she'd glance over at us to see if we'd seen. If I had, I would sigh and pretend to swoon. Even though these people were strangers, in a way, I felt like I was back among friends.

"Yea, it beats walking. That's for sure," Yugi agreed with Duke. Even after only a few minutes, I'd learned that Yugi was generally pretty happy. He had an almost child-like optimism that I couldn't help but envy. "And it should help us..."

He was cut off when the car screeched to a halt as Joey slammed on the breaks. Duke was thrown into me. I winced as Serenity was thrown into him. Yugi caught Tea and she blushed again. Serenity looked extremely embarrassed and quickly jumped away when the monkey started hissing and trying to scratch Duke.

"You okay?" Duke asked me.

"No," I said. "That hurt. You smooshed me."

He smirked. "Next time will be better, I promise," he teased.

For a second, I didn't get it, but when I did, I felt my cheeks heat up and I hid my face. He chuckled and Tea laughed a little too.

Yugi leaned towards the driver's window. "Hey, why'd you stop the truck, Joey?" he asked.

"Look, Yugi," said Joey, his eyes on something that was shooting into the sky. "What is that?"

"Oh, wow!" Yugi exclaimed, pointing it out to us.

I stood up to get a better look and Duke wrapped his arms around me from behind. I pushed his hands away, but he stayed standing far too close. I ignored him. It looked like a rocket was blasting into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.

"It looks like some kind of rocket," said Duke, echoing my thoughts.

Joey leaned out the window to get a better look.

"Who do you think launched it?" asked Yugi.

"The big five," said Duke, as if it were obvious.

"Let's focus, guys. We're looking for Tristan, remember?" Serenity asked.

We were still staring into the sky when a random voice said out loud, "I'm way cooler than that Romeo-wannabe, Duke Devlin." We turned to look at Serenity, who was standing behind everyone, holding the monkey, but she looked just as confused.

After a pause, I asked, "Everyone heard that voice this time, right?"

"That was weird," said Duke. "I could have sworn I just heard Tristan's voice."

"Yea," Yugi agreed.

"It came from him," said Tea, nodding at the monkey, who was scratching the back of his head.

A voice came from the monkey again. It surprised me this time and I jumped. "If I stay stuck in this robo-chimp's body too long, I may start chowing on bananas and bugs," he said.

Yugi leaned closer, looking surprised. "Um...Tristan?" he asked.

"Are you in there?" asked Tea.

"Did I just say that out loud?" asked the monkey.

Joey climbed into the bed of the truck and snatched the monkey away from his sister.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "I don't trust you one bit, ape boy."

"Joey! It's me!" the monkey said.

"I think you're a robot spy sent by Noah," Joey declared.

"Give him back!" Serenity exclaimed, trying to grab the monkey back. Joey held her at bay with his arm. "Joey, come on! Don't be mean to him."

"I don't trust this thing, Serenity," Joey said, glaring at the monkey. "I'm sure as hell not letting him around you."

"I can take care of myself," Serenity protested.

"She's got more brains than you," Duke pointed out, smirking. He snuck his arms around my waist again and pulled me away from Joey and the monkey.

After several wasted minutes of arguing, Joey agreed to drive again if he could use a rope to put the monkey on a leash in one corner of the truck - provided Serenity agreed to stay away from him. Reluctantly, she agreed and we tied the monkey up. Joey climbed back in the driver's seat and Yugi and Tea went to sit by Serenity. Duke settle back into our corner, this time pulling me into his lap.

I turned to give him a look. "You're sure forward," I commented.

He smiled. "Don't pretend you don't like it," he said. He brushed my hair out of my face and said, "Plus, you're much more mellow without your memories. Or your spooky super powers."

"What are you talking about?" I muttered. I rolled my eyes, but I really didn't care that much, as long as he didn't try anything else. In a way, it was kind of comforting to have someone hold me.

"I'm a monkey, not a mad dog!" the monkey with Tristan's voice complained, tugging on the rope.

"With the big five running around in disguises, we're not taking any chances," Duke told the monkey.

"I'm telling you, it's me!" the monkey argued.

"Are we going to be able to find Kaiba?" I asked. "And is Mokuba going to be okay?"

"Got a thing for him still?" asked Tea, teasing.

I assumed she was referring to some memory that I just didn't have. But even though I could barely remember who I was and obviously I had no idea what may have happened between me and Kaiba, I tried not to look embarrassed. Tea didn't know, obviously, but it made my stomach flutter nervously thinking of the night before on the beach. I shivered a little, even though it wasn't cold. Duke laughed softly behind me, a quiet little laugh that only I could hear.

"I'm just concerned," I said to Tea.

"Right," she said, winking. "I understand. Your secret's safe with me."

We drove for a while before Joey, who was still driving, stopped the car. We climbed out of the back to see what was going on. We'd come to a place in the road where it just ended. But right across from us, where the road continued, was Kaiba, dueling against some strange looking monster-thing. It was like someone had built the road and then cut a piece out of it just so we couldn't cross.

"Yugi, Kaiba's up against one of the baddest deck masters of all time," said Joey.

"You're right, Joey. It's Ginzo," said Yugi.

"You know what that means," said Joey.

"I sure do," said Yugi. "It means Kaiba's trap cards are totally useless."

"Oh, no," said Tea, quietly. "It's like dueling with half a deck."

But even from across the gap, I could see that Kaiba looked confident. It was in the way he stood, his head held high and proud, and that sexy little smirk on his face. How could someone so arrogant be so attractive, I wondered. With a smile, he drew a card.

"Looks like bad weather ahead," he commented. "Time for my heavy storm magic card to blow away all your magic and trap cards, Lector. Which means, you're done powering up your life points."

"As your stepfather's right hand man, I learned to anticipate his every move," said Lector-Ginzo, "and that's exactly what I've just done to you. For I activate Imperial Order."

"Oh, no," said Kaiba.

"Oh, yes, Mister Kaiba," said Lector, with a thick southern drawl that somehow seemed familiar to me. "For a mere seven hundred life points per turn, this card cancels out all your magic cards. You know what that means, don't you? Now you can't use any trap or magic cards for the duration of the duel."

"That's not good," Yugi commented.

"Talk about not playing with a full deck," said Joey.

"Now, the fun continues," Lector continued. "I'll add five hundred life points to my total with solemn wishes and a thousand more with life absorbing machine. Then, I'll sacrifice seven hundred to activate imperial order. Now that that's taken care of, I can finally unleash the power of my ultimate weapon."

"Go ahead," said Kaiba, nonchalantly.

"Satellite cannon," he said, pointing upwards towards the rocket-like thing we'd seen shoot into the sky, "begin firing sequence. When you took over Kaiba Corp, you destroyed all of the missiles that your stepfather and I worked so hard to build. So it's quite fitting that I use this satellite missile to destroy you. Say goodbye to your facedown monster."

We looked up to see a stream of light hurtling towards Kaiba's monster, as the missile came flying out of the sky. For a second, Kaiba looked worried. The missile hit and the explosion sent out waves of wind that made the water around us fly back in a wave. Duke yanked me back from where I was standing near the edge of the gap and shielded me from the wind and the water that splashed up on the road. When everything cleared, Kaiba's monster was gone.

"You seem a little stunned to me, Mister Kaiba," said Lector.

"How can I stop a weapon that's up there?" he asked.

"You can't," said Lector, as-a-matter-of-factly. "My satellite cannon is virtually unreachable."

"It can't be beat," said Yugi.

"I never heard of a duel monster that can attack from outer space," said Joey.

"Satellite cannon is so high above the earth's atmosphere that it's shielded from the attack of almost every monster," Lector bragged.

"Almost?" asked Kaiba. "How do you know I don't have a monster in my deck that can reach it, Lector?"

"Trust me, Mister Kaiba, by the time you summon a monster with the ability to attack my satellite, it will be too powerful to destroy," said Lector. "It gains one thousand attack points with each turn. At last, the mighty Seto Kaiba is about to lose everything he has. And it serves you right after destroying your own stepfather and betraying the big five. Now it's time you paid the price for using others to get what you want - even your own brother."

"What's he talking about?" asked Yugi.

"You'll stop at nothing to get what you want, Mister Kaiba, even if it means deceiving those most loyal to you," said Lector. "Your treachery began when your stepfather, Gozaboro, gave you ten million dollars to test your business skills. When you increased the cash by threatening a smaller company, he was impressed with your abilities and your cruelty. But that wasn't good enough for you, was it? You wanted more." Lector went on to explain that the young Seto Kaiba had approached the big five with a proposition - he wanted the big five to help him take over Kaiba Corp. "So slowly, we all started buying pieces of Kaiba Corp to try and take over the company. But securing the fifty one percent we needed proved difficult. Then we realized that someone was leaking our plan to Gozaboro Kaiba. You told us that someone was your little brother, Mokuba."

"What?" I whispered. "But he loves his brother."

"People will do almost anything to get what they want," said Duke.

Lector said that Kaiba had confronted Mokuba. He'd thrown him against the wall, demanding to know how Mokuba could betray him. When Mokuba claimed to have no idea what his brother was talking about, he called him a liar and told him to get out of his sight. "By turning on your little brother, you forced Mokuba to run to your stepfather, Gozaboro, for comfort. Of course, Gozaboro had his own agenda. You said, Mokuba owned two percent of Kaiba Corp which was exactly what Gozaboro needed to stay in control," said Lector. He said that when Kaiba had approached him, Gozaboro had become angry and threatened to send Kaiba back to the orphanage and fire the big five. That was when Mokuba had stepped in and given his two percent to Kaiba. And that was how Kaiba became the president of Kaiba Corp. "Gozaboro was so ashamed that he ran away and no one's heard from him since, so your cruel plan worked."

"What's your point, Lector?" asked Kaiba.

"You played us like fools!" Lector exclaimed. "Mokuba wasn't the snitch, now was he? It was you, wasn't it, Mister Kaiba? You knew that your stepfather likes people to think that they're winning so when he beat them, they'd feel that much worse. So you used Mokuba as a pawn. You began leaking information about your plan to Gozaboro and made everyone, including him, think it was Mokuba. So your stepfather let you gain forty-nine percent of his company thinking Mokuba would give him the two percent he needed to stay in control. But you knew better, didn't you? You knew that your little brother would be loyal to you no matter how poorly you treated him."

"You're wrong," Kaiba interjected. "Mokuba was the only one I trusted. I knew that together he and I could take my stepfather down."

"You used him," Lector accused, "to achieve your own selfish goals. You toyed with your brother's emotions and took advantage of his trust for you. Then you destroyed the very man who rescued you from that orphanage. You never intended to run Kaiba Corp with us as a team, like you promised. When you became president, you took away our responsibilities. You used me. Just like you use everyone, including your little brother."

"Look, Lector, life is a game," said Kaiba. "And if you can't win it, then don't play. Now, let's duel!" He drew a card. "I summon spirit ryou," he said. "And speaking of winning, watch this. Attack his fairy lily now, with sonic flash attack."

Lector boosted fairy lily's attack strength.

"Not so fast," said Kaiba. "It's time for spirit ryou's special ability. He gains and extra one thousand attack points for each dragon I discard from my hand. And I have two. Now I'll only lose four hundred life points while your lily destroys my monster.  
"I don't know what kind of game you're playing, Mister Kaiba, but with only eight hundred life points left, you won't be playing it much longer. This duel's almost done."

"Why did Kaiba let him destroy that monster?" asked Duke.

"Maybe the pressure's gotten to him," Joey suggested.

"Not quite, guys," said Yugi. "I've just figured out Kaiba's strategy."

"He meant to do that?" I asked.

Yugi nodded.

Kaiba used his other monster, something called a behemoth, to attack his fairy lily. Lector didn't have enough life points to increase her strength and block the attack.

"My plan worked," said Kaiba. "I forced you to give up two thousand life points last move so that you couldn't power up your fairy this move."

"You see, guys, Lector has to give up his life points to activate his best cards," Yugi explained. "So he needs his life points to be high."

"This game doesn't seem so hard," I said.

"Yea?" asked Joey. "Well maybe one day you'll finally play, you chicken."

I stuck my tongue out.

"My move," said Lector, drawing a card. "First, I gain five hundred life points thanks to solemn wishes. Then another three fifty thanks to life absorbing machine." He destroyed his imperial order because he didn't have enough life points to sacrifice. Now Kaiba could use magic cards.

"Now Kaiba might win after all!" said Yugi.

"Lector, how did you ever think you could control Kaiba Corp if you can't even control the numbers in a simple game of duel monsters?" asked Kaiba, tauntingly.

"Silence!" Lector ordered. "I'm not done yet. I summon a monster in defense mode and command my satellite cannon to attack your behemoth. So sorry I had to ruin your good mood, Mister Kaiba."

"Don't worry," said Kaiba. He drew. "First I activate my pot of greed card. This allows me to draw two more cards. And then I'll summon the monster possessed dark soul. Now, dark soul, attack Lector's face down monster."

"Stop right there! Reveal dream sprite," said Lector. "Attacking this activates it's special power and can redirect your attack to another monster. So I'll direct it to my satellite cannon. Just one more turn and my satellite cannon will be strong enough to destroy your monster. I'll take a life point boost and then end my turn."

"That snake!" Joey exclaimed. "How come he didn't attack?"

"You heard him, Joey," said Yugi. "He's charging up his cannon for one final attack."

"I'll take down your little space cannon," Kaiba threatened.

"Good luck," said Lector. "Most monsters could never reach that high."

Kaiba drew.

"And now!" he exclaimed. "Behold, my ultimate creature!"

"What is it?" asked Lector.

"You'll see," said Kaiba. "But first I'll place this card in defense mode. But first, my deck master, show your special ability. At the cost of five hundred of my life points, lord of dragons allows me to summon any dragon from my hand. Now I'll sacrifice both of my monsters. I summon blue eyes white dragon!" Kaiba pointed up at the satellite. "There's your target! Go, blue eyes! Take down his satellite right now!"

"No!" Lector exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

"I know exactly what it means," said Kaiba. "This duel's over. I know your satellite cannon only has attack points when it's about to attack. Otherwise, it has an attack power of zero. That means once I attack, you lose everything. You should have known better than to challenge me. Now, my blue eyes, finish him off with white lightning attack." The sky lit up as the satellite was destroyed. "Looks like you won't be leaving cyber space any time soon," he told Lector.

"Nice job!" Joey exclaimed. "Kaiba wasted that big five freak."

"No!" Lector exclaimed. "I was so close to finally escaping from this place."

"Where's Mokuba?" Kaiba demanded.

"You'll never see your brother again, Mister Kaiba," said Lector. "However, I'll be back." And this that, he digitized into a thousand tiny white lights and disappeared.


	44. Chased

Chapter 44

For a second, I think that everyone was a little bit in shock because no one said anything. I watched Kaiba's face go from stunned, to worry, to anger all within a few seconds and my heart ached for him. I felt so bad. I couldn't even imagine what he was going through.

"Awesome," said Yugi, very in contrast with my personal feelings. "Kaiba crushed the last member of the Big Five."

"Well, Seto," came a voice out of nowhere.

I jumped. It was a voice that everyone but me seemed to recognize. I looked up and looked around me. The voice seemed to be coming from every where and the thought that someone was watching me at all times made me uneasy. I found myself desperately wanting to be somewhere that made sense.

"That's Noah," said the voice in my head that no one else could hear. "He trapped us here."

"Thank you, Voice," I thought.

"It's Marik," said the voice, irritably. "For about the fiftieth time."

"Thank you, Marik," I thought.

"Well what?" Kaiba demanded.

Noah laughed. "You may have won your duel, but you've lost something more important," he said. He sounded like a child. A cruel, spoiled child. The road in front of Kaiba shimmered and turned into a tunnel. "Your brother," the voice concluded, dark and triumphant.

"Where is he, Noah?" Kaiba asked, a growl in his voice.

"Here's a hint," said Noah. The road reappeared in front of us. "Proceed ahead and you may find him."

"The road's back," said Yugi, suprised.

I was already walking forward, quickly, before anyone realized what I was doing.

"Mokuba, I'm on my way!" Kaiba yelled and he ran forward.

I started to run after him, without a second though, but was stopped. Duke, who was taller and faster than me, caught me around the waist and pulled me back.

"You can't just go running off," he said, crossly. "This world can change in an instant."

"I can do anything I want," I snapped, knowing how childish I sounded. I was pissed. Not only did I have no memory and some random voice in my head, but I was sick and tired of being controlled by everyone around me. I glared at him and looked towards Kaiba. "Kaiba, don't," I called.

"Stop!" Yugi added. "It could be a trap."

"Just stay out of this, Yugi," Kaiba snarled.

"What?" asked Yugi. He sounded incredibly surprised.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Joey demanded.

"This doesn't concern you, Wheeler," said Kaiba. "It's family business, so stay out of it." He turned and ran down the tunnel and out of sight.

Joey let out a frustrated noise and shouted after him, "Okay, fine! Lose your body for all we care! You stuck up jerk. Who needs him? We're better off without him anyway, right, Yugi?"

"Goodbye and good riddance, Kaiba," Duke added.

"Those are terrible things to say," I said, to everyone's surprise. I think they were beginning to think I was quiet. I felt very stuck in my head because I was so confused. It sucked, but I needed to start speaking up.

"Yea, hold on, guys," Yugi agreed. "We should help him save Mokuba."

"Yea," said Tristan-the-robot-monkey from Serenity's arms. "And if he finds Noah then he might find my body."

"He's right," Serenity agreed. "Following Kaiba may be the only way to save Tristan."

"Hallelujah! Did you hear that?" the Tristan-monkey cheered. He turned and began to nuzzle Serenity's shoulder. "Thank you, Serenity. I knew you'd believe it's really me trapped in here. I can always count on you..."

Duke took a few strides towards them and picked up the monkey by the tail. "For all we know, you're Noah's pet baboon," he sneered.

"Stop it, Duke," I said, taking the monkey from him and handing him back to Serenity. I bent over so I was eye level with the monkey and said, "I know how it is to have something strange happen and have no one believe you, Tristan." I patted his head.

The monkey smiled. "You and Serenity are both so nice!" he exclaimed. "I'll never doubt your crazy talk again, Olive!"

"Well, thank you," I said, smiling a little bit and wondering what exactly he meant.

The voice in my head laughed a little bit.

"We can't let Kaiba go alone," said Yugi, decisively. "I'm going to go after him." He started to run towards the tunnels.

"Hey, Yugi, wait..." Joey began.

"I'm going to," said Tea, following.

Duke took my arm so I wouldn't follow.

"Oh, give me a break!" Joey exclaimed. "So now what are we gonna do?"

"We're going to go in there and help Kaiba find Mokuba," said Serenity.

"I'm with her," I said, yanking my arm away from Duke.

"No can do, sis," said Joey, stubbornly. "I'm sick of helping Kaiba and not getting any thank you."

"I'm with you," Duke agreed. "If we were in trouble, Kaiba would never go in after us."

"He'd go in after me," I argued.

"Well, guys," said Serenity, taking my hand. "Suit yourselves." And we took off running towards the tunnel.

"Hey! I can't believe this!" Joey exclaimed. "Even my own sister won't listen to me." He sighed, exasperated, and said, "Alright, I'm going in."

"Aw, come on," Duke complained, following Joey. "Can't we talk about this?"

But even as we were about to enter the tunnel, it shimmered and disapppeared.

"Yugi! Tea!" Joey yelled.

"Shit!" I exclaimed loudly. I turned and hit Duke in the chest even though I couldn't hit very hard. "This is your fault," I accused. "I wanted to help him in the first place. How can you be such a selfish person?"

He caught my hand before I could hit him again and said, "Don't worry, I'll make it up to you, Olive."

I sighed and kicked the ground, frustrated. We walked slowly back to the pick up truck. Serenity sat in the passenger seat and I sat in the back of it. Joey began pacing back and forth and talking to himself and Duke came and leaned against the truck near me. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Tristan-monkey went over to the edge of the bridge and gazed down into the water. For a monkey, he seemed sad.

After a few minutes, the monkey screamed and said, "Guys, what has eight eyes and lives underwater?"

"Is that a joke?" asked Serenity.

"I'm not exactly in the mood for laughs, chimp boy," said Joey.

"There's something down there I think you guys might wanna look at," said the monkey.

Duke walked slowly over to him. "And there I was thinking you couldn't get any more annoying than you already were, banana breath," he said. He reached out to touch the monkey's hair and the monkey freaked out.

"Hands off the hair!" he yelled, to everyone's surprise.

"You have got to chill ou t!" Joey said.

"What?" the monkey demanded. "Did you say chill? Why don't you take a look down there first!"

"The little monkey's scared," Duke mocked. "I'll give you something to be scared about."

"Cut it out," I said, jumping out of the back of the truck and walking over to them. "For someone so good looking, you are really immature," I said to Duke.

He smirked. "So the truth comes out. You _do_ think I'm good looking," he said.

I rolled my eyes and leaned over the edge of the bridge to look down into the water. I frowned. I thought I saw the eyes Tristan had been talking about, but they almost immediately disappeared. I leaned back and almost immediately after, water shot into the air.

Duke stumbled backwards, shocked. I picked up Tristan and took a step backwards too.

"What is that thing?" asked Joey. The water cleared and four duel monsters were left floating in the air. A judge, a penguin, some sort of water creature, and the Jinzo that Kaiba had finished dueling only about and hour ago. They laughed, darkly.

"No way!" Joey exclaimed. "It's four of the Big Five. We beat you freaks of nature fair and square."

"We still have some unfinished business to take care of," said the water creature.

"What do you creeps want from us?" asked Duke, making me jump. He was closer behind me than I thought.

"Simple," said the water guy. "The same thing we've always wanted. Your bodies." His eyes began to glow.

"Now what, Joey?" asked Serenity. Tristan scrambled out of my arms and ran over to her.

"Don't worry, sis. This bunch of assholes couldn't duel their way out of a paper bag," said Joey, confidently.

"What makes you think we want to duel you?" asked the man named Lector who was in Jinzo's body.

"My associates and I have had enough games. Now it's time for us to take action!" said the water guy.

"How's that?" asked Joey, sounding worried.

"Why duel you when we can take your bodies by force?" he asked and they flew towards us.

"Now we have a problem," said Joey. He took out five cards and put them on his duel disk. The five monsters flew at the four attacking us. "These oughta keep those guys busy."

Duke picked me up and threw me in the back of the truck and then climbed in after me.

"Time to blow this taco stand," said Joey, getting in the drivers seat and trying to star the car.

"What are you waiting for, man?" asked Duke.

"This thing won't start," said Joey. "Come on, you piece of junk!"

I watched, casually, from the back of the truck as Joey's monsters began to be destroyed. In practically no time at all, they'd all been killed.

"Joey!" Serenity exclaimed.

"I'm trying my best! Start you rust bucket, come on!" said Joey, hitting the steering wheel and turning the key. The engine roared to life. "It started!" he excalimed. "Let's roll!" He hit the gas and the car raced forward. The four monsters followed us.

Duke and I both lost our balance and crashed on the bed of the truck.

"Warn me when you're going to do that," said Duke, crossly. "We aren't wearing seat belts. You okay?" he asked me.

"Yea, I'm fine," I said.

We raced down the road, through the fog, and off of the bridge. Pretty soon we were on a normal road, grass, dirt, and rocks on either side. Joey raced over a hill, the truck flew into the air for a moment and then crashed back on the road and kept flying. Duke and I were standing in the back, holding onto the bed of the truck and trying to keep our balance. I was standing with Duke's arms on either side of me so even when I stumbled, he always caught me.

"Joey!" Duke complained.

"They're gaining on us!" Joey offered, as an explanation.

A red laser beam hit the road to the left of the truck and we almost went skidding off the road. The judge man appeared in front of us and Tristan yelled, "Dude, straight ahead!" Joey swerved off the road to avoid hitting him and then had to swerve again to avoid hitting the penguin.

"I've got you now!" said Jinzo and the red laser hit the ground right in front of our car. Sand and dirt billowed up into a cloud and obscured Joey's vision. Joey and Serenity screamed as he tried to turn and then over corrected when it was too sharp. Duke caught me as the truck turned on its side and skidded across the ground. Duke and I were thrown out of the bed of the truck and rolled across the ground.

Coughing, Joey pulled himself out of the truck. "Are you still in one piece, Duke?" Joey called.

"I think so," said Duke.

"Olive, how about you?"

"I'm fine," I said.

"Serenity?" asked Joey. He reached down to help her out of the truck.

"I'm okay," she said.

"For now, maybe," said Lector, standing in the air over the truck. "But soon, all of your bodies will belong to us. Now, which of you two should I choose to take control of?" he asked, looking down at Joey and Serenity.

"Hold on!" interjected the penguin guy. "I wanna have first choice, Lector!"

'We're going in size order, Crump," said Lector. "So you'll go last."

Crump ran towards the sideways truck, reaching for Serenity and Joey, but he was too short to grab them. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I'm choosing right now," he said. He was trying to climb up the side of the truck to them. Serenity buried her head in Joey's shirt and whimpered.

I sat up. My head was killing me and the world still felt like it was spinning.

"You really take terrible care of your body, getting into situations like this," complained Marik.

I ignored him.

Lector pulled Crump away. "Keep your wings to yourself until I say so," he ordered.

"Stop it, fools," said the tall judge man. He'd been approaching Duke and me with the water creature guy, but stopped to look at the other two. He picked up Duke and threw him towards the truck, but I dodged around him and ran after Duke. "We don't have time for all this bickering. Choose a body and stick with it."

"Then let me go first," insisted Crump.

"Enough!" yelled the water guy. "We have to act quickly if we want to escape into the real world."

He reached towards me. I stood up. When he tried to touch me, a clear shield appeared in midair a few inches from my body. I smiled.

"I don't think you boys know who you're messing with," I said, quietly.

A light appeared in the sky and they all looked up.

"Attention, fools," came Noah's voice. "This game is _over_."

"Master Noah, it's not what it looks like," said the water guy. There was desperation in his voice.

"Really?" asked Noah. I turned and in the center of the light, which was descending, there was the boy from the television that was in the desert. He was wearing the same white uniform with purple designs and had the same turquoise hair. His serious eyes were seriously angry. "So you're not breaking my rules?" he asked the four of the Big Five in a patronizing voice. "What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"Please, I can explain..."

"I gave you all the chance to win your freedom and you all failed! Now you'll pay the price." Noah interrupted. The sand began to blow around us like a tornado. Joey and Serenity crouched down in the truck. Duke shielded me with his body and grabbed ahold of the back of the truck. Our four attackers were picked up by the storm and blown away. "Gentlemen, you're all dismissed! No one disobeys my rules and gets away with it," Noah declared.

"Oh, man," said Duke.

I turned in his arms and gave him a hug. He seemed overwhelmed. He wrapped his arms around me and sunk to the ground. I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes.

"You alright there, guys?" asked Joey, standing.

"Yea," said Duke, tiredly. "I've never been better."

"Hey guys!" we heard a familiar shout.

We looked up to see Tea and Yugi running towards us. Kaiba was walking behind them.

"We found you!" said Yugi, relief in his voice. "Is everyone alright?"

"We're all fine," said Joey, jumping to the ground.

"Awesome!" said Yugi. "That's the best news I've heard all day." He hugged Joey.

I stood up just in time for Tea to barrel into me. She hugged me tightly and then touched Serenity's hand.

"I guess the action never stops," she said.

"You can say that again," said Serenity.

I looked at Kaiba. He was staring at what looked like a picture frame. He looked very confused. I walked over to him and touched his hand.

"Did you find Mokuba?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Where is he?"

"Noah's done something," said Kaiba. "Brainwashed him, I guess. He didn't... he wasn't the same. He was afraid of me." For a second, Kaiba's hard expression on his face softened and he looked truly sad.

I held out my arms and he hugged me.

"Kaiba?" said Yugi, walking over to us. Kaiba stepped back, but not far. "Could Noah's story about being your long lost step brother actually be true?"

"What?" I asked, looking at Kaiba in disbelief.

"Noah's story is nothing but one big lie designed to mess with my head, Yugi. The supposed conversation he had with Gozaboro would have happened over six years ago, which is when this was taken," he said, holding out the picture frame, "based on the imprinted date."

Yugi took the picture and looked at it.

"But look closely," Kaiba continued.

Yugi gasped. "Noah looks the same as he does now," he exclaimed.

"He hasn't aged in six years?" I whispered.


	45. The Big 5 Are Back

Chapter Forty-Five

Joey and Duke checked the truck to see if they'd be able to make it work again, but it was totally destroyed. After a little complaint from Serenty and Tea, we walked to the road and started walking down the pavement.

"This is turning into a really long adventure," Marik said, in my head.

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"Well when all of this happened, I guess I just didn't realize we'd be stuck in a virtual reality for this long," said Marik.

I sighed. "How long have we been here?" I asked.

For a second, Marik paused, thinking. Then he admitted, "I'm not actually sure. It feels like we've been here forever."

"Yea, that's definitely true," I agreed. "Even longer since I keep forgetting where I am and how I got here. And that it's not real."

"Talking to yourself again?" asked Duke, falling in step beside me.

I jumped a little, surprised. It was confusing sometimes to go between the voice in my head and people talking out loud. It was confusing because both voices sounded like there was someone right there, talking to me.

"Oh my gosh," I said, jumping, my hand on my heart. "You scared me."

"If you like that one, then get used to it," Kaiba remarked. He leaned around Duke and smirked at me. "Don't worry, gorgeous, I understand why Devlin scared you. Being crazy can get pretty scary, after all."

I made a face at him. "Shut up," I said. "I'm not crazy." But I knew there was doubt in my voice. In reality, in the real world, if this was actually a fake world, maybe I was crazy. I wished I could remember.

"Kaiba, don't be so mean to her," said Serentiy.

"Yea, remember at one point you really liked that girl. Maybe even loved her," said Tea, giving him a knowing look.

Kaiba rolled his eyes, but he looked uncomfortable.

"Loved her? Like Kaiba has a heart," said Joey.

"Watch it, Wheeler," said Kaiba.

Everyone fell silent for a few minutes. We walked down the road as a casual pace. I couldn't help but frown. Everything felt so confusing and so... uncertain. What if something happened and we really did lose our bodies? What if we never went back to the real world and I never got my memories back? Sure this world could change. It even seemed magical and interesting in a way. A world that was always changing? You could explore forever, learn forever. You could do things here I was sure you couldn't do in the real world. The real world and its problems seemed scary somehow. What if I didn't like who I was when I finally remembered who that was exactly? But not having my memories was even scarier than the thought of not liking what those memories were.

"So, Noah's your step brother, Kaiba?" asked Duke, breaking the silence.

"It's none of your business," Kaiba snapped.

"What a ray of sunshine you are," I commented, sarcastically.

"Well, it does explain why Noah brought us all here," said Yugi.

"Yea," said Joey. "He wants to prove to Kaiba's stepdad that he's the better son.

Yugi nodded. "Yup. So to show his power, Noah teamed up with the big five to defeat us and he's holding Mokuba captive to weaken Kaiba."

"Let's get one thing straight. I'm not _weakened_. Of course I want my brother back, but I am perfectly fine. As strong as ever," Kaiba sneered.

"But it has changed you," I said, quietly. He met my steady gaze, surprised. "Having Mokuba gone, I mean."

"So you not only read minds, now you have the power to read people's emotional well being too?" asked Kaiba.

"I don't need a magical power for that," I said, frowing a little.

"I've heard enough," said Kaiba. He turned and began to walk away, but Tea was right behind him.

She ran ahead of him and held her arms out to try and stop him from walking away. He seemed a little surprised. "Hold it right there," she said. She looked pissed. Or at least more pissed than I ever remembered seeing her. More pissed than she seemed capable of.

"What's the problem?" Kaiba asked.

"Going somewhere?" asked Tea. "If so, then that's the problem. You got that, Kaiba?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Just step aside," he said. "I already told you geeks. This is family business. It doesn't concern you. So move it." He pushed Tea out of the way and tried to walk by her.

But she moved around him quickly and was back in front of him within seconds. "That's where you're wrong, Kaiba," she said.

"Just let him go, Tea. It's not worth it," said Joey.

"You may be too concerned with yourself to realize this," said Tea, ignoring Joey, "but because of your family business, we're all trapped here. Don't you realize we can help you save Mokuba?" Kaiba rolled his eyes again, impatient, and turned his head away. "Look at me when I'm talking to you," said Tea. "Mokuba is our friend and we want to help him."

Kaiba must have seen something out of the corner of his eyes, because suddenly he turned and said, "Why don't you worry about him instead?" We all turned to see Tristan, or at least Tristan's possessed body, standing on top of a large rock.

"Tristan!" Tea exclaimed.

"It's not Tristan, remember?" asked Joey.

I turned to look at Kaiba, but he was walking away. He met my eyes and I felt like he was asking if I wanted to come with him. And a part of me did. A part of me was so confused about him. He was so bitter and quiet, he kept to himself. But at the same time, I felt like he was hiding and like I deeply knew who he really was. In a way that no one else really knew. I just shook my head and turned away. If he wanted to make life harder on himself, that was his problem. I had to stay here with these people who said we were friends. Besides, I knew we'd run into each other again, sooner or later.

"You aren't going to stop him?" asked Marik.

"I don't care," I thought. "All I can think is that I want to remember who I am. Do you realize it's a miracle that I even remember who you are?"

"Trust me, after introducing myself to you twenty-two thousand times, yes I realize this is a miracle," Marik said.

"I want to go home," I thought. I paused and then asked him, "Am I a good person?"

Marik was silent for a long time. Finally, he thought, "From what I could see, yes. For the most part. You're not a saint, but you're definitely not a bad person. But, Olive, there is a whole other part of you that you don't even realize is there yet. Your powers have only just started developing and unlocking themselves. I can't say for certain what kind of person you'll be when that happens."

Nesbitt-possessed Tristan laughed. "I'm not alone in here. Today's special is five for one and the verdict is in. Our combined force will destroy you." FIve duel monsters, or deck masters rather, appeared behind him. It was strange to listen to him talk because his voice changed depending on which person possessing him was speaking.

I groaned. "Not again," I said.

"They're all using Tristan's body," said Tea.

"Awkward," said Duke.

"Give him back!" said Yugi.

"Listen, Yugi, there's only one way we'll return your friend. But believe me, junior, the odds are in our favor," said Tristan

"Hey, that's Crump," Tea said, recognizing one of the voices. She covered her breasts with her arms and shivered. "Creep," she murmured.

"Alright, tell us what we have to do to get Tristan back from your control," Yugi demanded.

"Duel with us. Win, and he's yours," said Tristan. For a second, there was a blank, troubled look in his eyes. Then he walked forward. "Now, let's duel, Yugi." A duel disk appeared on his arm.

"You five are on!" Yugi exclaimed, angrily.

I felt some strange sensation go through my body and when I looked at him, Yugi was a different person. Or at least a different Yugi. Taller, somehow, with a deeper voice and a very regal air about him.

"What just happened?" I whispered.

"That would be the pharaoh," said Marik, a slightly resentful tone in his voice. "You and I both work for him. My family has served him for thousands of years. Whenever you showed up in ancient Egypt, from wherever you came from, you agreed to work for him if he helped you find a way to control your powers better. I was told once that you show up whenever kings or queens happen to need you the most."

I didn't answer. I just thought about what he'd said and felt myself yearning for more.

"Hold it right there," said Joey, dragging me back to what was going on in front of me. "Your math's a little off, if you catch my drift. Five on one is uneven. So count me in."

"Are you sure?" asked Yugi.

"Yea," said Joey, smiling confidently. "No question. The two of us are a team, Yugi."

"Yami," I heard myself whisper.

"Now let's waste these five suits," said Joey.

"Yes," said Yami. "And together we'll save Tristan."

"Fine, Yugi. Five on two," said Tristan, confidently. "Now, since this duel is two bodies against one, the only way for justice to be served is for us to start with eight thousand life points while you two begin with four thousand. Win, and you'll be reuinited with your friend. Lose, and you all belong to us. Now, are you two ready to lose?"

"We don't lose," said Joey, a little anger working it's way into his voice. "You five are going down."

"Let's get down to business," said Tristan. "Choose your virtual decks."

Playing cards appeared in front of both Yami and Joey, floating in the air. I felt my eyes widen, surprised. They began to select the cards they wanted to use.

"You'll need all the help you can get," Tristan grinned, smug.

Joey paused at one card, staring, and I wished I could read his mind.

"You can," said Marik, in my head. "You just don't remember how right now. When we're in the real world, it's like a sixth sense."

He picked the card.

"Now it's time to choose your deck master," said Tristan.

"I choose this monster," said Yami. "Dark Magician." He placed it and a tall magician, with powerful eyes, dressed all in deep purple appeared beside him.

"And I'll pick flame swordsman," said Joey, selecting a card. Another tall monster, this time a man in orange and blue armor with a huge sword, appeared beside Joey.

"Since there's five of us, we're going to rotate our deck master monster," said Tristan. "So we'll start with this: my deep sea warrior - a strong investment." The creature that appeared beside him, with green scales, a helmet covering his face and blue and green armor, was one that had been chasing us in the truck earlier. "Now, stand back. I'll begin."


	46. Duel: Yugi and Joey vs The Big Five

Chapter 46

"Now, stand back. I'll begin," said Tristan. "First things first. I'll play this magic card, legendary ocean. Time to flood the market."

"Oh no!" Yami exclaimed. "Run, guys," he said, as a wave appeared behind Tristan and began to descend towards us. I took one step back. When the water crashed to the ground, it swirled up around my ankles, but it didn't bother me.

"And now I'll summon this monster: the legendary fisherman," said Tristan.

"That's the card Mako Tsunami almost beat me with," said Joey.

"Olive, get out of the water," said Duke, from behind me.

I shook my head and shot a look at him over my shoulder. "Afraid to get a little wet?" I teased.

He looked shocked and then laughed, but he didn't follow me into the water. He held out his hand so I finally decided to take it and follow the others.

"I always knew what a dirty girl you were," Marik teased in my head and I smiled. At least someone could banter playfully with me.

"Now, hold on," said Joey. "You have to sacrifice something first to play that card. It's too powerful to summon to the field in your first move."

"With his magic card, he can," said Yami.

"Right," said Tristan. "It's all true. A legendary ocean changes my five-star monsters to four. This fact allows me to summon them directly to the field, without sacrificing another monster."

"Be careful, Joey. As long as that card is in play, he's at a dangerous advantage," Yami warned.

"Don't worry, Yugi," said Joey.

"You take the next move, Joey," said Yami. "And remember, these corporate tycoons are not to be trusted."

"Forget about it. You and I are gonna put these guys out of business, Yugi," said Joey. "And it's all gonna start right now. Watch this! I summon alligator sword in defense mode. That's all for now, you old geezer, but this is just the beginning so don't get used to it."

"It's my move now!" Yami declared. "And I summon gazelle king of mythical beasts in defense mode," he said.

"And that's all?" asked Tristan. "Now..." he froze and that blank look appeared again.

"Maybe they're talking in his head," I suggested.

"Ready?" asked Tristan.

"His voice changed!" Joey exclaimed.

"That's Crump," said Tea. "Come on, crush this bird brain! I already beat this flippered footed freak and you can too."

His deck master, nightmare penguin, appeared and the other one vanished.

"Legendary fisherman, attack Yugi's mythical beast now," he ordered. The whale with the fisherman on the back emerged from the sea. "Thanks to the special ability of my pegnuin, my fisherman gets a two hundred attack point bonus. It's all about the numbers, boys, and your number's up. Next, I summon catapult turtle in defense mode."

Joey looked worried. "We gotta get rid of that legendary ocean card," he told Yugi.

Duke helped me climb up the cliff that Tea and Serenity were standing on. I thanked him and sat down at the edge of the cliff, dangling my feet off the edge. Duke hovered nearby. I think he was nervous I'd fall or something. After shifting nervously from foot to foot, he crouched down next to me.

"That's kind of dangerous to be right on the edge," he said.

I shrugged. "I don't mind a little risk," I teased.

He laughed. "I need to get to know you better," he said.

"Why do you say that?" I asked. "Aren't we friends?"

"Yea, but we don't see each other much back in the real world. It's only a coincidence that you, me, Tea, and Tristan even ended up at the finals of Kaiba's tournament," he said.

"Well, I don't know anything about any tournament, but I don't know if I believe in coincidences," I said. "Do you think Kaiba's okay?" I asked him.

"I don't care," said Duke.

"Why not?" I asked. "You guys aren't friends with him?"

"Not really," said Duke. "I mean, I've done business with him because of his gaming technology and we've run into each other at the clubs a couple of times, but we aren't really friends."

"He's not friends with any of you?" I asked, surprised. "But don't you all play this..." I motioned at Yami and Joey. "This game?"

Duke nodded. "Yugi seems to like him, although I can't figure out why, really. Yugi beat him in a duel a year ago. He was the first person to beat Kaiba. It was a huge deal. You were there, actually."

"Really?" I asked. "I wish I could remember."

"Yea, that was when you were dating, actually," said Duke.

I sighed.

"Is that weird?" he asked.

"To have dated someone and not remember?" I laughed a little and then smiled, sadly, at him. "Yea, it's pretty weird." I paused and then said, "It's like, why did we date? What were my feelings? Why did we break? Did we still like each other? I don't know any of that stuff. But then I see him and talk to him, and he knows all of those things. He knows what happened. It just sucks not to know. It's the same with all of you though. I have no idea what I thought of any of you. Now I'm getting to know you and making conclusions that might be totally false if we ever get out of here."

"I'm sorry," said Duke. "That's gotta be hard."

"It is," I said. "But I'll be okay. That little voice in my head helps sometimes." I smiled.

Duke laughed a little and then stopped. He laughed again and said, "The sad thing is, I have no idea whether you really have a voice in your head or not."

I laughed too. It was pretty funny. "You never will," I said.

Marik laughed too.

"Well, maybe it's a chance for a fresh start with some people," Duke suggested casually.

"Huh?" I asked.

"I mean, you don't remember what you thought of anyone. Maybe it's a chance for you to get to know who they really are. You can give them a second beginning," he said.

"I guess that's true," I said. "You're pretty optimistic."

"It's one of my many amazing qualities," said Duke, with false humility.

I smiled. "You're kind of conceited too," I said.

He smirked. "When you look like me, you're allowed to be arrogant," he said.

I laughed and then fell silent, studying him. He felt my eyes on him and looked at me.

"What?" he asked.

"I just hope I feel the same way about you in the real world as I do now," I said.

"And how is that?" he asked.

I shrugged and made a motion like I was locking my lips shut. I smiled. "It's a secret," I said.

"I can keep a secret," he said.

"Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead," I remarked.

"Fine," he said. "But I'll find out."

"Alright, Big Five, you body snatchers better give back my friend now, cuz you're done," said Joey, drawing our attention back to the duel. He drew a card and for the slightest second looked pleased. Then he reverted back to his poker face. "Now I place one card face down," said Joey.

"That's your big plan?" Tristan scoffed.

"I'm not done," said Joey. "I summon Cyber Harpy. This one's for Mai. And I'll switch alligator sword into attack mode and that ends my turn."

"And starts mine," said Yami. He was frowning and had a very serious look in his dark violet eyes. He drew a card and studying his hand for a minute. Then he summoned mystical elf in defense mode.

"Now, say goodbye to your mystical elf!" he said and the legendary fisherman attacked.

But then, Joey activated his trap card, stopping the monster. A chain wrapped itself around the fisherman's ankle and he was no longer able to attack. Plus, it raised the attack points of the cyber harpy.

"Maybe now you five freaks know who you're up against," said Joey.

Tristan's eyes went blank.

"Who's Mai?" I asked Duke.

"What?" he asked.

"Mai. When Joey summoned cyber harpy, he said it was for Mai," I explained. "Who's that."

"Oh, she's a duelist. She was in the finals and Marik sent her soul to the shadow realm" said Duke. "She's in a coma. It was really horrible, especially for Joey. I think they kinda have a thing for each other."

"Marik did that?" I asked.

"Yes," said Duke.

"No," said Marik in my head. "The evil that had collected in my mind did that. That's why I'm in your body, sweet cheeks. He kicked me out of mine."

"Why?" Duke looked at me, curiously. "Do you remember Marik?"

I shook my head slowly. "No," I answered. It was the truth, but it felt like lying since he was technically living in my head.

Duke shrugged. "I figured," he said, turning back to the duel.

"I'll conclude by placing one monster face down in defense mode," said Tristan.

"Way to go, guys!" Tea cheered.

Duke and I looked back at them and both Tea and Serenity were smiling. Even the monkey was smiling.

"Tristan will have his body back in no time," said Duke. He winked at Serenity. "Come sit with us, ladies."

The two of them walked over. Tea sat on my other side, but Serenity sat next to Duke. He smiled a smile at her that did not reflect the innocence of her smile. I frowned and pinched him.

"What the hell?" he asked. Then he laughed. "Jealous?" he whispered in my ear.

"I don't think so," I said. "Just don't act like every living woman wants to screw you," I replied, with an innocent smile of my own.

He laughed.

The monkey began to make some strange noises.

"I thought we turned that monkey speech off," said Tea, leaning around me to look at him. "So if that's really you in there, Tristan, then why do you keep making all kinds of weird monkey noises?"

"What do you mean, monkey noises?" asked the monkey. He let out some more monkey noises and then looked extremely sad.

I tilted my head to study him. "It's okay, monkey Tristan," I said. "We'll get your body back." It was really hard for me to remember that the mind insdie that little monkey was actually the mind that belonged to the body that Yami and Joey were dueling. It was all so confusing.

"Here we go again, Crump," said Joey, drawing a card. "Bingo, baby! Now its time for me to dry up your ocean, Crump, with yet another card compliments of Miss Mai Valentine."

"Mai _Valentine_?" I asked Duke. "Like 'my valentine'. Is that her real name?"

He nodded.

"Sounds like a pornstar name," I commented.

"Looks like one too," said Tea.

"Yea, except she's way classy and tempermental," said Duke.

"I like Mai," said Serenity. "She's really nice. I hope she marries Joey, cuz then she can be my sister."

"Harpy's Feather Duster," said Joey and the ocean began to disappear, as if it were being blown away. "This card sweeps away every magic and trap card on your side of the field, including your legendary ocean. Now, cyber harpy, attack his legendary fisherman!" His monster attacked and the legendary fisherman disappeared. Tristan's points went down. "Hell yea," said Joey. "It's still my move, Crump, and I'm not done wiping the field clean of everything you got. Next I'm going to take care of that face down mystery monster of yours..."

"Don't, Joey! It's too risky!" Yami exclaimed.

"Risk is my middle name," said Joey. "So check this out. Alligator sword, attack his face down monster."

Tristan laughed. "You just triggered my magician of faith's special effect, you moron. Now I can bring back one magic card. Guess which one?" he asked. "Time's up," he held up his legendary ocean. "I'll bring back my legendary ocean."

"Damnit! I'm sorry, Yugi," said Joey.

"You fools are making this way too easy," said Tristan. He laughed. "You're defeating yourselves.

"Calm down, Crump," Yami scoffed. "This duel is still on and it's my move. Now, it's about time someone put you in your place." Something in Yami's voice sounded utterly confident and also dangerous. Powerful.

"Go ahead and try," Tristan challenged.

"Now, I'll play kuriboh in defense mode," he said. A tiny brown puff with eyes and green arms and legs appeared. "Next, I'll activate card destruction. Now we must throw away all our cards, which means your legendary ocean card is gone again."

"Awesome!" Joey cheered. "I knew I could count on you, Yugi."

"Now, it's time for us to all redraw a brand new hand, right, Crump?" Yami continued. They all drew. Yami smirked. "I'm through for now," he said.

"Alright you brats," said Tristan, a hate-filled look on his face. But then his eyes, so angry, went blank. And his voice changed. "Crump has been dismissed," he said.

"They switched again!" Tea exclaimed.

"Those old dudes are passing around my body like it's going out of style," the monkey said, angrily.

"That does not sound right," said Tea.

"That's their plan," said Duke, frowning. "That's why they're winning. You see, this duel is beginning to take its toll on Yugi and Joey, but the Big Five keep rotating players to keep themselves fresh. This isn't going to be easy."

"Time to bring you to justice," said Tristan. "In case you don't already know, the name's Johson, legal expert of the big five. My first order of business is to clear the field of this penguin, if you don't mind." The penguin disappeared, and was replaced by his huge, hulking deck master, judge man.

"Where are you?" I heard a sudden shout. It was a yell, a shout carried on the wind through the pixels in this world. I jumped and looked up at the sky. When I saw nothing, I looked around.

"What are you doing?" asked Tea.

"You didn't hear that?" I asked.

"No," she said.

"Then nothing," I said, with a fake smile. "I'm not doing anything at all."

She gave me a weird look. "Are you okay?" she finally asked. "I mean, Serenity and Duke explained what was going on with your memory and everything. That you lost your memory. All of it, but still. That can't be easy. You're my friend. What can I do?"

"You can tell me why everyone thinks I'm crazy and weird," I suggested, with a smile.

"Because weird things started happening after we met you. You went to a competition with us and you started predicting the future, seeing and hearing things we couldn't. You would get weird headaches and fevers. And then Yami and you and I went to a museum and you were carved beside Yami in the stones. The exhibit director, Ishizu Ishtar..."

"My sister," Marik added in my mind.

"...recognized you. You read minds, Olive. You tell the future. All this bizarre stuff," said Tea. "And you're not really shy about it. It's unnerving to some people."

"And ridiculously sexy to others," Duke added. He'd been listening in.

I shot him a look.

"But you're a good person. So is Yami. We're just still trying to figure out who, exactly, you both are," said Tea.

"Then how do you know I'm a good person?" I asked. "If you don't know who I am, how do you know?"

"Because you care and because you love," said Tea, simply. "You love and care for people who don't even deserve it sometimes. Like Kaiba. And Bakura when he becomes creepy and evil."

"Who's Bakura?" I asked, suddenly feeling very tired and sad.

Tea smiled, gently, but her eyes seemed very sad that I didn't remember. "Let's finish watching the duel," she said, after a long pause.

"When you two lose this duel, you'll be sentenced to a lifetime in this digital dungeon," said Tristan and his words sent a shudder of panic through my entire body.

"You're the one going down, Johnson," Joey sneered. "I beat you once and I'll beat you again."

"Yes, but now we're up against all five of them," Yami reminded him.

"That's right. I'm not alone in here," said Tristan. "Now then..." he drew a card. "My first maneuver should seem famiilar to you, Joseph. It's called clear the courtroom. It's judge man's deck master ability."

"Oh, no," said Joey.

"First I'll give up one thousand of my life points. Proceed, your honor. Prosecute all their monsters to the full extent of the law," said Tristan. All of their monsters disappeared and they both lost five hundred life points for each monster - one thousand life points total. Next, Tristan summoned hysteric angel to the stand. She attacked Joey's life points directly and it seemed to physically hurt him. He lost even more life points. Then the angel used catapult turtle and launched himself at Joey. Joey was left with only three hundred life points.

"Are you alright?" asked Yami.

"Been better," said Joey.

Tristan placed on card face down and played a magic card called alter of myth. After three turns, he'd be able to summon a really powerful monster to the field.

It was Joey's turn. He summoned rocket warrior and boosted his attack points by one thousand. The rocket warrior attacked his catapult turtle, but Tristan countered by activating a magic card: he was able to sacrifice Joey's rocket warrior and summon a monster called machine king.

It was Yami's turn now and he frowned. He drew a card. He removed a card from his graveyard to summon another card. Then he sacrificed that monster to summon some kind of dragon. Then he placed a card face down and ended his turn.

"This will never work," said Joey.

"Joey's acting kind of weird," said Tea.

"No, he's trying to warn Yugi," said Duke. "He made a really predictable move."

Tristan's eyes went blank and, once again, his voice changed. He said his name was Nesbitt.

"It's him!" Duke exclaimed.

"He's the one who did this to Tristan," said Serenity, suddenly looking much angrier than I thought a sweet girl like her could look.

Tristan played a card that got rid of all magic and trap cards.

Yami's plan was destroyed.

Tristan used his machine king to attack and Yami laughed.

"Thank you," he said. "Looks like you fell for my real trap." Nesbitt's magic card had increased the attack points of Yami's monster. He attacked. Tristan lost an additional five hundred life points.

"I get it," said Duke, snapping. "He just tricked Nesbitt into attacking him instead of attacking Joey. Nesbitt was side-tracked, so he forgot Joey."

"That won't work again," said Tristan. His eyes went blank and I expected that his voice would be different when he spoke again.

Joey drew a card. He summoned a monster called panther warrior in defense mode and then placed another card face down. Then Yami attacked Tristan's life points directly. Tristan looked pissed. Yami summoned a second monster in defense mode.

"Say goodbye to Nesbitt and his pathetic robot," said Tristan in a thick southern accent. "I'm Lector and I'll be controlling this body for the remainder of the duel."

"Whatever," said Joey. "Less talking, more dueling."

"Fine," said Tristan. "I'll draw."

"Not quite. You activated my trap. The card you just drew goes to the graveyard," said Joey.

"Not quite," said Tristan, smiling. The card exploded.

"What the hell?" asked Joey.

Tristan laughed. "Haven't you noticed the monster I've chosen to be my deck master?"

It was Jinzo, rendering all of Joey's trap cards useless. Tristan played pot of greed and drew two cards. The magic card triggered a special ability of Yami's monster and it gained two hundred life points. Tristan summoned fairy lily and gave up two thousand life points to increase her power. The fairy destroyed Yami's monster. Then he used a magic card to increase his life points by one thousand. Then he placed a card face down and played a card that stopped all monsters from attacking.

Joey sacrificed panther warrior and summoned a jinzo of his own. Joey's jinzo destroyed Tristan's trap. Yami and Joey talked back and forth for a minute in quiet voices. Joey played a magic card that changed the fairy lily into defense mode. Then he used his jinzo to destroy it and ended his turn.

Yami drew a card and summoned the dark magician girl. She attacked directly and Tristan lost two thousand life points.

But three turns had passed and Tristan could summon almost any monster he wanted to. He drew a card and laughed, an unrestrained, manic laugh.

"This doesn't look good, guys," said Duke. He stood, too anxious to sit.

I watched him for a minute and then stood as well. I wanted to help him calm down and he was also making me really nervous.

Serenity scooted closer to Tea for comfort. It was her big brother's body on the line after all.

"It's time to do what my associates couldn't and finish you," said Tristan. "You couldn't begin to learn what monster lurks in my death." He smirked and began to set his plan into motion. Using the five deck masters, he was going to summon a monster that could destroy Yami and Joey.

"That doesn't seem fair at all!" Tea exclaimed.

"They don't care about fair, they care about winning," Duke snapped, still pacing while I stood to the side, watching him.

Finally, I stepped forward and stopped him. He tried to jerk his arm away and walk passed me, but I tightened my grip. "Look at me, Duke," I ordered, a powerful feeling filling my lungs when I spoke. Even though he looked pissed about it, he looked at me. I took his face between my hands and leaned close to him. "They aren't going to lose," I said, quietly. "Stop worrying."

"Well that settles it," said the monkey, who was watching us over Serenity's shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Duke demanded.

"Olive has never predicted the outcome of a duel wrong," said Tristan. "She always knows who's going to win."

"Another magic power?" Duke asked me skeptically, something almost mean and mocking in his tone.

"It doesn't matter what powers I do or don't have," I said. "I do have the power to create shields. You saw that a few hours ago after the truck flipped. I don't give a damn how badly they're losing, the second those five freaks take a step towards them or think they're kieeping Tristan's body, they are going to _beg_ to be trapped in this digital freaking world."

Duke was shocked by the seriousness and the darkness that accompanied the words I was speaking. Serenity and Tea were staring at me. I had to admit, I was a little surprised too. I wasn't exactly sure where it was coming from, but it felt good. It felt like I was taking charge. Finally.

"I told you that you were powerful," said Marik in my head. I smiled.

"Just, please don't worry," I said. "If it ever gets out of their hands, which it isn't, then it falls into mine. And that would be a fatal mistake for the big five."

"All of your powers are still inside of you, Olive," said Marik. "You just have to remember how to use them."

Tristan called forth the five deck masters, Jinzo, deep sea warrior, nightmare penguin, judge man, and superior robotic knight. He commanded the five of them to join together and they fused, becoming something called a five-headed dragon. It was the big five's ultimate monster and it was huge. But instead of feeling a nervous panic I was beginning to almost get used to, when I looked at it, I had the strange feeling that I had faced far worse at some point in the life I didn't remember.

For the first time in a while, I felt calm and I wanted to hold onto that for as long as I could.

"We've faced this beast before," said Yami.

"I know. It was the last time we faced these five," said Joey. "That super dragon took out my monster and me with it. Let's just hope my luck is better than it was last time."

"The good news is," began Yami, always the optimist, it seemed, "Lector's dragon can't attack until his next turn."

"That's a relief," said Joey. "We have one turn to stop him."

"I forgot to mention something," said Tristan. "My dragon destroys all of your trap, magic, and monster cards as soon as it's summoned." The dragon attacked with a wind that even reached us up on the cliff. Tea and Serenity scrambled backwards away from the edge of the cliff and I stumbled backwards. Duke caught me and held me steady. But he didn't make a comment like he usually would. He was really worried about this duel.

Yami and Joey were left defenseless.

"Look," said Joey. "We've got plenty of monsters in our deck and it's our move."

"There's one more thing you should know," said Lector. "This dragon is immune to almost all attacks. It cannot be damaged by fire, water, earth, wind, or darkness."

"Shit. That leaves only one type of monster, creatures of light," Duke exclaimed. "Still think they'll win?" he asked me.

"I don't think anything, I know they will," I said. I couldn't explain the feeling. I just knew. It was in my bones and my skin, my breath and my blood. I could feel it. It was even starting a little ache in my head that seemed familiar.

"It seems to me that your chances of rescuing Tristan just got even slimmer," said Lector. I was starting to be able to think of him as Lector instead of Tristan. "And I think you all know what that means. It means four more of you will soon join me as part of the big five's corporate takeover. And just to make sure no one interfere's with our plan, I'll place this card face down." He smirked. "Good luck, Joey. Now go ahead and use your last turn."

"What am I supposed to do? Any ideas, Yugi?" asked Joey.

"We can do this, Joey," said Yugi. "Trust your deck master."

"Yea. My deck master," said Joey, thoughtfully. "Here we go," he said. He drew a card and placed three cards face down on the field. Then he called his deck master forward and the flame swordsman walked onto the field. "That's all for me," said Joey. "You'll never get to me and my friends."

"Here we go," said Yami. He drew a card and then called his dark magician to the field as well.

"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Tea.

"If their deck masters are destroyed, they lose," said Duke.

"Yea, but since they had no other monsters on the field, that five-headed freak would have destroyed them!" said monkey-Tristan.

"You made this too easy," said Lector. "Your deck masters' can't touch my dragon and the best part is, once I destroy them, you two lose and your bodies are ours."

"Hang in there," Joey said to Yugi. "I'm here for you."

"This duel's not over, Lector, and it's our move. We'll show you what teamwork can do," said Yami, smiling.

"Touching," said Lector, sarcastically. "But I'd say five heads are better than two. How do you plan do defeat our dragon?"

"The same way I did the first time we fought it," Yami said.

"You can't. That won't work now," said Lector. "Last time you played master of dragon soldier, but you can't play that now. You don't have the cards you need to summon it to the field."

Yami played a magic card, confident as ever. "Yes, but I can summon a monster that's just as powerful by combining our two deck masters together in order to form dark flare knight." The two monsters fused together. "Take a good look, Big Five. This is the monster that will bring about your destruction and return Tristan to us."

"You challenge our dragon with _that_?" Lector sounded disgusted.

"Yes. Dark flare knight is a combination of our deck masters just as your dragon is a combination of yours and Joey and I have faith in ours," said Yami.

"That new monster of yours is a creature of darkness and our five-headed dragon can only be beaten by a creature of light," said Lector.

"We'll see," said Yami.

"Yes we will," said Lector, clearly irritated.

"Dark flare knight, prepare to attack now. Your target is their five-headed dragon," said Yami.

"Take him down, my beast," said Lector.

The attack covered the field.

When it cleared, Joey and Yami were fine.

"What's this? Why are you still standing?" Lector demanded.

"We're unharmed because of dark flare knight's special abilities," said Yami. "First, it prevents me from losing life points when it's destroyed. But that's not all it does, Lector. Our deck masters are gone, but notice that Joey and I are still in this duel."

"No!" Lector exclaimed in shock.

"I'm afraid so," said Yami. "Thanks to dark flare knight's second affect. Whenever that card's destroyed, mirage knight is then summoned to take its place." The knight appeared out of the flames.

"That's your new deck master?" asked Lector. "That knight's too weak as well so why go through all this trouble just to bring that to the field?" He paused and then answered his own question. "Unless mirage knight has a special affect as well."

"You're beginning to catch on, Lector. Now, mirage knight, attack his dragon," said Yami. "He may look weak. However, first impressions may be deceiving. So look closely now, Lector. The special ability of our mirage knight is about to seal our victory. You see, he is able to absorb all the attack points of opposing monsters, giving our knight five thousand extra attack points."

"What? Oh no! Now he's more powerful than our dragon!" Lector said.

"And there's one more thing you may want to know," Yami continued. "Mirage knight is a creature of light and you know what that means, Lector. It's exactly the kind of monster I need to destroy your dragon. And once it's wiped out, this duel will finally be over."

The knight cut the dragon in half.

"Your deck master is now gone and your life points as well. This duel's done," said Yami.

"That's funny. I don't feel like a loser," said Lector.

Yami looked at his life points and gasped. "His life points didn't drop to zero."

"That attack should have wiped him out," said Joey. "Explain yourself."

Lector laughed. "Did you forget about the face down card I laid down earlier? It's know as deal with a dark ruler. This trap card prevented me from receiving any damage when your knight attacked my dragon. All I had to do was give up half of my life points - a good investement that was well worth it in the end."

"But you should still lose," said Joey. "Your deck master's gone."

"That would have been the case had it not been for the second affect of my dark ruler trap card. It summons berserk dragon as my deck master," said Lector. "Looks like your big plan didn't work, boys."

The mirage knight seperated and became dark magician and flame swordsman again.

"Hey, what happened to our mirage knight?" asked Joey.

"Mirage knight only stays for one turn, Joey," said Yami. "Then it splits into the original monsters used to summon it."

"Please don't let them destroy your deck masters!" Serenity shouted.

"Don't worry about a thing, sis," said Joey. "Yugi's turn is not over yet. You can do this."

Yami activated magical hats and activated his deck master's special ability. He lost one thousand life points, but was able to hide flame swordsman between magical hats as well.

That was when Lector told him... the dragon could attack four hats at the same time. He couldn't lose. Someone would be destroyed.

"So this is it?" asked Joey.

"Afraid so," said Yami, frowning.

"Oh yea? I don't think so," said Joey.

Lector attacked Yami's hats, along with his deck master. But Joey ordered his flame swordsman in front of Yami to protect him with his life.

"Now both of your deck masters are gone," said Lector. "I win the duel."

"No!" Serenity wailed, covering her ears.

"I guess even Olive had to be wrong once," said Tristan-monkey.

I shook my head. "They didn't lose," I said.

The smoke cleared and they were both still there, perfectly okay.

"I told you so," I smirked.

The dark magician and the flame swordsman had both survived. Joey had played a silver dollar trap card. The flame swordsman had saved the dark magician and the trap card had saved the flame swordsman.

"That was an excellent move, Joey," said Yami. "You saved us both."

"You would have done the same thing," said Joey.

"I'm not done with you and neither is my dragon, so prepare to lose your bodies!" Lector shouted. But there was worry in his voice.

Then they saw it. The attack points of the dragon went down.

"Did you see that?" asked Yami.

"Yea," said Joey. "His dragon lost attack points. Just in time for my turn." He drew a card and revealed his face down card. It was a magic card called knight's title. Joey added it to Yugi's deck master. It transformed dark magician into dark magician knight and then Joey trasnferred most of the power of his flame swordsman to the dark magician. Now it was stronger than the dragon. "That should do the trick," said Joey. "Now, why don't you do the honors, Yugi?"

"With pleasure," said Yami.

"I end my turn," said Joey.

"We make a great team, Joey," said Yami. "Together, we are about to topple the big five."

"You five are done," said Yami, turning to Lector. "Now, attack their dragon with sword of dark magic attack!"

In one easy move, the dragon was destroyed. All five of them automatically lost the duel.

"Now return Tristan's body, as you promised, and run back to Noah. We've all had enough of you," said Yami. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, gentleman."

"Yugi and Joey crushed those big creeps!" said Tea, jumping up and down.

"I knew they could do it! Way to go, guys," said Serenity, clapping.

"I guess your days of looking like a monkey are over," said Duke to monkey-Tristan.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you, Duke," monkey-Tristan teased.

Duke let out a laugh and then looked at me. I couldn't help but smile. I had been right about something. Somehow I'd known and it'd been right. Maybe there was something to these powers after all. I didn't say anything. I'd already said 'I told you so'. I just met Duke's eyes and my smile grew. I felt really truly happy for the first time that I could personally remember and it made Duke smile too.

Before I knew what he was doing, Duke had lifted me off the ground and spun in a circle. I started to scream but it turned into laughter. Then, as he set me down, he kissed me.

When he pulled away, I must have looked shocked or something, because he stepped back a little and said, "Sorry. I got caught up in the moment."

For a second I didn't say anything and then I said, "I look terrible."

Duke smiled. "I think you're beautiful," he said, not a hint of any suggestion in his voice.

"I don't know what my life is like in the real world," I said.

"It was just a kiss," said Duke, sliding his arm around my waist. "It was inevitable really. Two people as gorgeous as us. It had to happen."

I rolled my eyes, but laughed, and started down the cliff with Tea and Serenity.

We all stood in front of Lector, who was kneeling on the ground, his head hung with defeat.

"Now it's time to give Tristan his body back," said Yami.

"I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone who believes in playing fair," said Lector, looking up at us.

"What?" Yami demanded, furiously.

"Say what? Alright, it's go time!" said Joey, just as angry.

"As you wish," said Lector. He stood up quickly and as he did, five monsters, the deck masters of the big five, appeared and charged at us.

"Now to take five more bodies!" said Lector.

But just as they were about to strike, two clear, shield-like walls appeared in fron of us. One was clear and sparked with electricity. The other a dark color.

"Breaking my rules again, are we?" asked the voice out of nowhere. It echoed all around us. I jumped.

"Noah," Marik reminded me.

"You five fools have failed me for the last time," Noah said.

A white light engulfed Tristan's body and it disappeared.


	47. We're Following the Monkey

Chapter Forty-Seven

Watching Tristan's body disappear, something that seemed to happen more and more frequently as the days in this place wore on, was a huge let down. I let out a long, slow breath. My smile slowly disappeared. I sort of felt like I was deflating. It was anti-climactic. I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip to hold off the wave of emotions about to crash into me. I felt an arm around my shoulders and I turned my head. It was Duke. Of course.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," I answered quickly. Too quickly.

He gave me a little smile. "It's going to be okay," he said.

"Sure," I rolled my eyes.

"That's pretty negative for the chick who predicted the future a few minutes ago," said Duke.

"Just feels like we don't get a break, you know?" I asked, with a shrug. "It feels like we never win. Seto runs off...his little brother is kidnapped. We can't seem to get Tristan his body back, or get out of this god-damned place. My memories are all screwed up. I don't even know what's real." I smiled sadly. "I don't even know how I met you or what my opinion of you was before now."

"What's your opinion of me now?" asked Duke, smirking.

I attempted a smile. "Well, there's definitely arrogance," I commented.

"Is there, now?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes again and stepped away from him. "So, what do we do now?" I asked the others, my gaze immediately going to Yami. But, as it turned out, he was somehow Yugi again. And even though he seemed so different to me, no one else ever seemed to notice.

Joey snatched monkey-Tristan from where he was sitting at Serenity's feet and he began to shake him upside down.

"Hey! What the hell, man?" Tristan-monkey exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing? If you think robot monkeys can't barf, you're wrong."

"And the plan is that we all start acting like monkeys, I guess," I said, sarcastically. "Good one, Joey."

He shot me a glare and then said, "Just calm down, Tristan. This might be the only way to save us form this place."

"Torturing me's gonna save us?" asked Tristan-monkey, clearly unconvinced.

"Look, man, you may hold the secret to escaping from Noah's virtual world," said Joey, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Oh, so you're back to thinking I work for Noah?" Tristan-monkey exclaimed angrily. "It's _me._ TRISTAN."

"Everyone knows it's you trapped in there, dude," said Duke. I jumped a little. He was standing closer to me than I'd realized. "But since your robot body was designed by Noah, it may hold some kind of clues about how to get out of here."

I gave him a look. "Seriously?"

"What?" he asked.

"Joey starts shaking a robot upside down and somehow you catch onto that?"

"Well, I'm right, aren't I?" he replied.

"Yea, for real," said Joey.

"Sorry," I said, holding up my hands. "When I got transported to this place, I forgot how to decipher 'Joey'."

Duke shoved me playfully and walked over to Joey.

"Cough up some answers, baboon boy," Joey demanded.

Duke crouched down and began to feel monkey-Tristan's back.

"There's nothing..." monkey-Tristan began, but then a little compartment on his back opened.

"Hey, check it out," said Joey. "Nice job, Devlin."

"What can I say? I'm good with my hands," Duke joked.

Joey pushed a button and Tristan-monkeys arms went together and forward. Wheels appeared in his palms and he began to roll in crazy circles.

"Let me handle this, okay?" Duke said to Joey. He pushed the number 2 button. "Two's my lucky number," he said.

"Something tells me it's not mine," said Tristan-monkey, as he was turned into a miniature helicopter. He rose in the air and then flew towards Yugi, Tea, Serenity, and me. I dodged him before he crashed into me and Yugi jumped out of his way as well. He spun in a few circles and then crashed to the groud. "Monkey sleep now," he said.

"Well, that didn't work," said Joey. "Maybe there's some kind of code."

"Hey, guys, maybe this red button is the one," said Yugi. He pressed the button.

Monkey-Tristan sat up. His face went blank and then reappeared red. "Initiating primate escape sequence," said an automated voice.

"Good call," Tea said.

Serenity looked overjoyed.

A red light shone out of the monkey's eyes.

"It's projecting something," said Yugi.

"Initiating virtual destination matrix," said the automated voice. A door appeared and opened. "Passage way revealed. Program complete."

When the door swung all the way open, we all stared in confusion at what we saw. It was a colorful building with a blue-eyes white dragon statue in front of it. Kaiba Land.

"Kaiba Land? What's that?" asked Tea.

I shrugged. "Apparently where we need to go," I said, walking forward.

Duke grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Don't be stupid. You're not going first or alone. We aren't getting separated agian. Be more careful," he lectured.

"Gee, sorry," I said, rolling my eyes. "I didn't realize my long lost father had arrived on the scene."

He smirked. "Oh yea, who's your daddy?" he said.

"Oh my gosh, why is that sexy? That is not sexy," I said. "Would you be kind enough to escort me, Mister Devlin?"

"Will you guys stop being gross and flirting?" asked Joey. "Let's go." He took Serenity's hand and walked forward, Tristan-monkey right ahaed of them. I linked my arm through Duke's and we followed.

"It looks like it's some kind of Kaiba Corp amusement park," said Yugi, looking around.

"Remind me never to waste my money here," Joey grumbled.

"Hey, where's Tristan?" said Serenity.

We looked around. He was rolling down some dark hallway.

"There he goes!" said Joey.

"Follow him," said Yugi.

We ran after him, but the monkey turned around, his virtual face flashing. "Halt! Intruder alert, intruder alert!" said another more authoratative automated voice. "Unauthorized personnel are forbidden to enter."

"And just how are you gonna stop us?" Joey demanded.

"You've been warned, intruder," said monkey-Tristan. He held up his hands and they turned into two guns.

Joey just kicked him out of the way.

"Oh no!" Serenity exclaimed. She went over to him and knelt down. "Hey, Tristan, are you okay?" She picked him up, craddeling him in her arms.

We walked down the dark hallway. Serenity clung to Joey's arm and I held a little tighter to Duke. There were weird noises here and as we'd learned, time and time again, there was no telling what could happen in this world. Things could come out of nowhere. Finally, we reached a room. When we entered, the lights stayed dark, but a projecter turned on and an old home-movie started playing on the wall. We all walked forward cautiously.

There was a woman standing at the top of some steps, her face tear-stained. Then Gozaboro Kaiba appeared. He said something about having to act fast if they were going to save him.

"Save him? It sounds like Noah was in some sort of an accident," said Tea, frowning.

When the projector turned off, we kept walking, looking down every hallway and in every room we passed.

"Hey, guys! I found something!" Triistan-monkey called us. "Check it out: train tracks."

"Don't tell me you think we should follow those tracks," said Tea.

"Got any other ideas?" asked Tristan-monkey. "We've got to find Kaiba and Mokuba, get my body back, and get the hell out of here. So come on!" He leapt down onto the tracks.

"Come on," said Joey.

"Maybe we can wait for the next train," Tea suggested.

"Who needs a train when we've got one of these!" said Tristan, climbing up on a wooden handcar none of us had noticed before.

"Nice," said Joey, grinning.

We all climbed onto the handcar, holding on for dear life as Joey and Duke began to start driving the handcar. We went racing down the tracks. I grabbed onto Yugi and we hugged each other tight. My hair whipped around my face and flew behind me due to the speed.

"Do you even know how to drive this?" Tea yelled. "Where is the brake?"

"This looks like a brake," said Joey, grabbing onto something and yanking.

Sparks flew, but we continued to careen forward, gaining speed every second. Duke and Joey lost control and Duke wrapped his arms protectively around me. I was too scared of crashing to protest. There was a light ahead of us at the end of the tunnel and we ended up flying out of the tunnel and into midair.

We crashed on a large, black rocks in the middle of a pool of lava.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Yugi.

"Define okay," Tea grumbled.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Beats me," said Tea. "But I don't think we're in Kaiba Land anymore."

"Hey, look over there, guys," said Joey, pointing.

We all looked.

On two rocks about forty feet away, Noah and Kaiba were dueling.

"It's Kaiba versus Noah," said Joey.

I gasped. "Kaiba!" I yelled, and he turned to look at us.

"Oh, so you remember his name," Marik complained in my head. "Only took you sixty times to remember mine."

"Be careful, Kaiba!" said Yugi.

Noah laughed. "Looks like your fan club has arrived. They came just in time to witness your last duel and my rebirth into the world as the new leader of Kaiba Corp."

"No. He can't let Noah win," said Yugi.


	48. Duel: Seto vs Noah

Chapter Forty-Eight

My head was pounding from the crash. It had been pounding since we'd arrived in this… place, but the crash had made it worse. The heat from the lava didn't help. For a moment, I felt the overwhelming desire to just break down sobbing. The desire passed quickly and I took a deep breath.

Noah, with a last smirk in our direction, turned his attention back to the duel. "Let's continue," he said, smugly.

Reluctantly, Kaiba refocused his attention as well, although for just a second we made eye contact. I wanted to offer him a wave, a smile, a word of encouragement, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything at all.

"Behold, the power of my mage and his mirror of truth!" said Noah. "Nothing can remain hidden from me now for the mirror of truth reveals your face down card and destroys it as well. Now, let's see what you tried to hide."

Kaiba cringed as his card was revealed and then destroyed.

"Your crush card is gone, now watch this," said Noah. "Attack, my mage! Destroy his giant germ!"

"Giant germ, return to me now!" Kaiba declared, after his life points dropped. "It's back, and you lose five hundred life points."

"I'm not too worried," said Noah. "Your card's weak."

"That may be, but what makes you think I brought it back to attack you?" asked Kaiba. "Watch and learn. I sacrifice my giant germ in order to summon my vampire lord."

"Vampires aren't enough of a trend in the real world already?" I asked. "They had to be stuck in this card game too."

"Now, my creature of darkness, attack his Mage!" Kaiba ordered

Noah's Mage was destroyed and because of his vampire's special ability, Noah had to send another monster card to the graveyard. Noah remained completely unfazed and proceeded to send Kaiba's vampire to the graveyard. Then he directly attacked Kaiba's life points.

"Don't give up, Kaiba!" Yugi yelled.

"Show that little freak who's boss!" Joey added.

Noah placed one card face down.

"You'll never get away with this Noah. I'd rather see my company crumble to the ground than fall into your grubby little hands. Kaiba Corp is mine! You got that, punk?"

"You stole it!" Noah insisted. "I'm just taking back what belongs to me."

"Keep dreaming, kid," Kaiba scoffed and he brought his vampire lord back from the dead. "Don't look so surprised," he said, with a smirk. "Don't you know anything about vampires? They can't be destroyed. My vampire lord possesses the power of immortality, you fool. When he's sent to the graveyard, he just comes back." The traditional arrogant look was on his face. He summoned a second monster.

"Alright!" Joey cheered. "I never thought I'd be rooting for Kaiba, but let's go, rich boy!"

"You and Kaiba don't get along?" I asked Joey and I could see it took everyone's greatest effort not to laugh at me. Apparently they _really _didn't get along. "Sure, laugh at the girl with no memories," I grumbled. "You guys are so cool."

"I can't be beat," said Noah, with unwavering confidence. "We're in my world now and I make the rules here." "You make think that I stole this technology, you ass, but all you did was rip off my system. Now, vampire lord, attack!" said Kaiba.

"I don't think so," Noah countered. "Your attack has triggered my trap card - earth shaker! It's time for me to shake things up a bit."

Everything began to shake, including the rock we were standing on. Both Tea and Duke grabbed a hold of me as I stumbled towards the edge of the rock we were standing on. Joey grabbed onto his sister to protect her. Lava crashed against the sides, but luckily didn't get on the rock.

"Allow me to explain how my trap card works. You have two kinds of creatures on the field - a wind monster and a dark monster. One of those two monsters is about to be destroyed, but which one? That's up to you, Seto," said Noah.

"So your trap card forces one of my own monsters to be destroyed. If I choose wind, I loose my slate warrior. If I choose dark, my vampire is gone," said Kaiba.

"That's a difficult decision," I agreed, nodding and pretending like I suddenly understood the game.

"What?" asked Duke.

"Oh, just what Kaiba was saying. I agree. It sucks," I said, motioning at Kaiba.

Duke paused for a minute and then said, "Kaiba didn't say anything, Olive."

I gave him a weird look. "Of course he did," I said. "I heard him."

"Olive, you can read minds, remember?" asked Marik gently.

I was silent for about a minute and then I said, "That's fucking weird."

Duke gave me a weird look and turned his attention back to the duel.

"I choose my vampire," said Kaiba.

"Earth shaker! Swallow his vampire lord!" Noah ordered.

"Why did he pick that?" asked Joey. "Kaiba's vampire lord was much stronger than his other monster."

"Yea, but don't forget, when Kaiba's vampire is destroyed, it comes right back in his next turn," said Yugi.

"Back to the field in his next turn, right," I said, nodding. I was still pretending to understand the ins and outs of this game. Maybe my family in the real world didn't play games. Maybe we were travelers who didn't have time for card games so I'd never gotten the hang of it. Maybe my parents were famous so we never stayed in one place for long. I imagined that I was a little put off by the traveling, that it didn't suit me, so I was a quiet person who preferred reading and solitude to their lavish lifestyle.

Somehow, I didn't think my little fantasy was very accurate.

"Kaiba may be a pain in the ass, but he knows how to play duel monsters," Joey commented as Kaiba attacked Joey's monster.

"Now you're completely defenseless," said Kaiba.

"This duel is looking up," said Joey.

"Kaiba made a good move, but Noah is still ahead of him by almost two thousand points. There will be plenty of time to celebrate later," said Yugi.

"I was thinking, Seto. Maybe you and I just got off on the wrong foot. Perhaps it's time to wash away our differences," said Noah. "And this should help." He played the magic card giant flood. "I hope you packed a virtual swim suit."

Duke elbowed me in the side. "I hope you didn't," he said.

I rolled my eyes and gave him a look.

The ground began to shake, roughly and loudly.

"What's going on?" asked Joey.

"Look over there!" Serenity screamed, pointing at the horizon behind Noah.

"I don't know what that is, but I can tell you, it's not good," said Duke.

"It's…a tidal wave!" Joey yelled. "Run for your lives! Wait," he said, after a moment of thought, "there's nowhere to go!"

"Time to drown out my competition," said Noah as the wave crashed down over him. When the water crashed over his head, a opalescent bubble surrounded him keeping the water from touching him at all.

"I can do that," I thought, but I didn't have time to focus on it.

The water crashed to the ground and swirled around our feet. We were left standing on an island surrounded by water, rather than lava. Kaiba's monster and all of the monsters in his graveyard were sucked into a whirlpool.

"It's time for you to see what my deck master can do," said Noah.

"But, you never picked a deck master," said Kaiba, sounding unsure of himself at this point.

"Oh, forgive me for being so rude," said Noah. "Meet my deck master! Shinato's Ark!" A humungous ark emerged from the waves and Noah laughed.

"Look at the size of that thing!" Joey exclaimed.

"That boat's his deck master?" asked Yugi.

"No way," Kaiba said quietly.

"That's right," said Noah, with an evil sort of smile. "Now, Seto, my great ark will allow me to sail away with everything you have - your company _and_ your brother." The gigantic boat landed gently in the water and opened up. All of Kaiba's monsters were swallowed inside.

"Are you wondering what happened to your monsters?" asked Noah.

"It crossed my mind," said Kaiba, sounding extremely bored.

"Just like my brain, my ship now holds a precious cargo of its own, Seto," said Noah.

"I can see that, kid," said Kaiba, impatiently.

"From now on, every time a card is sent to the graveyard, it will put rerouted to the belly of Shinato's Ark. There it will live for the rest of the duel," said Noah. "Let's just say I'm collecting passengers, shall we?"

Kaiba just laugh. A dark, almost sexy chuckle that made my stomach do flips. I blushed. The echo of a different, similarly dark laugh echoed through my mind and I wondered where I remembered it from. It made me feel breathless and, in an instant, both terrified and captivated. I felt so far away for a minute, but was drawn back to what was happening by Kaiba's voice.

"You are so pathetic," he said. "Thanks to your giant flood card, you have no monsters left on the field or in your hand and it's my move, so if I draw a monster now, you have nothing to protect yourself from its attack."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, amateur," said Noah.

Kaiba just rolled his eyes and looked at the cards in his hand to see what he had to work with. "Prepare to lose," said Kaiba, drawing a monster. "Ha! Now I call to the field the spear dragon! Go! Attack him now with cyclone blast!"

"Is that thing supposed to scare me?" asked Noah, sounding like the snotty, rich brat he was. "I can block your attack with ease, Seto."

"With what?" Kaiba snapped.

"With this," said Noah. "A creature you might recognize that now lives inside my ship. Arise, vampire lord!"

Kaiba blinked in surprised. For a moment he was taken aback. "That's _my _monster, kid," he said, anger on the edge of his voice.

"Not anymore!" Noah taunted. "He's a passenger of Shinato's Ark which means he belongs to me now. Thanks to my deck master's special ability, I have access to every monster on board my ship so go ahead and try to attack me now." He looked so confident and powerful standing in front of that ship.

Kaiba's dragon attacked and Noah's vampire absorbed the impact.

"Nice try, Seto," said Noah.

"This can't be good," said Yugi.

"You've forgotten one thing, Seto. We're dueling in my world," said Noah, drawing a card. "I control everything around us." The ship rose into the air. "Here's a small taste of my power."

The water level began to sink.

"I don't like this," said Tea. "Where's the water going?"

"It's drying up or something," said Joey.

"What's the deal with that?" asked Duke.

"Check it out," said Tea, as the rocks and water faded away and everything changed into a beautiful, grassy, and mountainous landscape. "Everything in the world is changing."

My head began to ache as things changed. It was only further proof that something about this virtual world was messing with my head and with my memories. The pain started out as a dull buzzing and grew more and more intense by the second as the world transformed. It almost felt like someone was drilling through my skull. I heard Marik cry out in pain in the back of my mind, but he sounded so far away compared to the hurt that I barely noticed. Without realizing it, I'd fallen to my knees, holding my heads. There were tears streaming down my face and my shoulders were shaking.

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" asked Noah. I stayed on my knees, crouched over, but looked up at him. He smirked when he saw me and Kaiba turned to look too. For a second, worry flashed through his features. "Messing with your head, gorgeous? You must have a greater mind than the rest of these fools if it's affecting you so badly."

"Don't fucking talk to her," Kaiba snapped.

"Hit a nerve?" he asked.

"Shut the hell up," said Kaiba.

I could tell I was still crying. There was so much I wanted to say to Noah, but between the pain and sobs, I couldn't speak. Weird images that I didn't recognize flashed through my mind.

"Olive, are you okay?" asked Duke in a whisper. I could feel his breath against my ear, but he sounded so far away.

"Olive…?" I wondered for a moment, not recognizing the name. I saw flashes of images of myself in my mind. I was a little girl, my hair shorter, only to my shoulders and freckles thrown across my face. But those same green eyes. Then I was older, but dressed in strange, ancient clothes. White linen with gold jewelry and my eyes lined thickly in black. But they were still those eyes, boring into me. I saw the brief image of a man with dark, chocolate brown eyes and long white hair. It looked like he smirked at me, but his image went blurry. Then I saw Yugi. Not Yugi though. Someone older than him, dressed in ancient clothing similar to mine. He was looking down at me with something like concern and disappointment in his eyes. But he didn't say anything. He reached out his hand and when I took it, the world went quiet.

I stood up, the pain in my head fading to a dull buzz. And then. It was gone and I was holding the hand of Yugi. No. Not Yugi. A taller Yugi. And somehow, even though I could barely remember myself half the time, I knew he was called Yami.

"I command each and every part of this place," said Noah. He smiled at me, clearly please with whatever pain I'd experienced. "Glad to see you're feeling better, sweetheart." He nodded at me.

"I said, don't talk to her!" Kaiba yelled, angry.

Noah smirked and played a card. "Welcome to the dinosaur age," he said. "I summon giant rex. Your spear dragon's about to become extinct. Giant rex, attack!"

Kaiba didn't lose any life points because his dragon was in defense mode. Kaiba only frowned at him. He still had fury in his eyes from when Noah has spoken to me.

"What's the matter?" Noah taunted. "Are you feeling frustrated because now you realize that I'm more intelligent than you? Look up!" he pointed to the sky where there was a glowing, floating sphere. "My super human brain sees everything. And with each passing second, it grows."

"Not everything," I whispered, under my breath. I wasn't sure if Noah heard me.

"What does he mean by that?" asked Yugi and I jumped in shock when I realized it was Yugi and not Yami.

"It sounds like Noah's brain's up there," said Tea.

"When my mind was digitized into that computer, something happened. Something unexpected. It seemed my brain waves were beginning to grow more powerful. I was able to access vast amounts of information through the databanks of my father's computer networks. I was constantly absorbing facts and figures. I learned the answers to mankind's greatest secrets," Noah explained. "Before long, I became a super human. I had fused with knowledge beyond anyone on earth, but all of this wisdom, all of this understanding, all of this intelligence wasn't enough. Something was still missing from my life."

"And what was that?" Kaiba demanded.

"One thing. A thing I was never able to achieve as a human," said Noah. "My father's trust. And once I destroy you, I'll finally prove to him that Kaiba Corp should be mine. You're just a lowly human, Seto," he sneered. "You're nothing next to me."

Kaiba laughed.

"I missed the joke," said Noah, clearly irritated.

"Behind your so-called super human intellect is nothing but a spoiled little brat," said Kaiba.

"Is that so?" asked Noah.

"For your entire life, people just handed things to you, Noah," said Kaiba. "But I had to work for what I have. Kaiba Corp is mine because I _earned_ it. The fact that you think you can take it away from me by winning one duel only proves what I thought about you from the start."

"And what's that?"

"You're crazy," said Kaiba. "You must have spent one too many years trapped in that bubble in the sky, Noah."

"So, you think I'm insane for wanting to claim what's rightfully mine?" asked Noah.

"No. I think you're insane for trapping me in a virtual computer program and forcing me to duel you just to prove to your daddy that you're not the failure he thanks you are," said Kaiba. "Well I'm here to prove that you are. There's a reason why I'm in charge of Kaiba Corp and you're not."

"Why's that?" Noah demanded.

"Because I'm the best man for the job," said Kaiba. "I'm more fit to run that company than you're ever be and deep down your father always knew that!"

Noah looked shocked suddenly and, from experience, I knew that he was seeing something that wasn't actually happening. It had happened to me far too many times for me not to recognize it.

Then he looked frustrated.

Whatever he was remembering was not happy and I was certain it was because of his past.

"My father created a world for me," he said. "My body was gone, but I could be alive and I could exist here. But soon, I began to notice glitches and all I wanted to do was improve those problems. So I started fixing the faulty programming. My father began to treat me differently. He was impressed with my changes and with my increased intelligence, but he never told me that I would be able to run Kaiba Corp because my father began focusing all his attention on his new family. As for me, my father began to visit less and less until he began to ignore me completely. He didn't believe Kaiba Corp could be run properly by a virtual president."

"That's because it can't," I shouted, suddenly snapping. I couldn't hold it in any longer. "There shouldn't be a virtual president to begin with, Noah! Don't you understand? People aren't supposed to exist this way."

"What do you know?" Noah sneered.

"About existing?" I demanded. "Nothing, as it is. I don't remember anything because instead of moving on with your life, you dragged us here. You are bitter. You should still be so young and instead you are bitter and vengeful. It's sad, Noah. I pity you."

"Says the girl with no memory," Noah shot back. I must have looked shocked because he smirked and pointed up at his virtual brain. "I see everything here, Olive. Every word you've spoken, even to yourself, I've heard."

"Stop talking to her," said Kaiba. "You have no right. Olive, shut the hell up. He is scum."

"I appreciate you standing up for me, but 'shut the hell up' isn't exactly the way to a girl's heart," I said, sarcastically.

"Noah, Gozaboro didn't give up on you because of your virtual state," said Kaiba. "I think that he knew no matter how much intelligence you gained, you'd always be a spoiled brat."

"Spoken like a true brother, huh?" asked Serenity, elbowing Joey.

"You are just expecting to get ahead in the world without doing any work at all," Kaiba continued. "As despicable as your father was, he knew the value of hard work. It was his own determination for power that got him where he was, after all. And as much as it would pain him to admit it, I think Gozaboro knew I was the best man for the job of Kaiba Corp president. As for you, Noah, his real son? You were better off isolated in his computer world, out of everyone's way."

Noah laughed. "That could quite possibly be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Come on, now. My father wanting _you_ to be president?" asked Noah.

"Why do you think he created that digital dump for you?" asked Kaiba. "You were in the way."

"You actually believe my father put me here to focus his attention on _you_?" asked Noah, a mixture of disgust and amusement in his tone. "Seto, you always thought you were the best, but of the three Kaiba brothers, you're the low man on the totem pole."

"You're confused Noah. That's your slot," said Kaiba.

Noah looked angry for a second, but then he smirked. "Why don't we ask Mokuba what he thinks?" he asked, knowing that would only cause Kaiba more pain.

With fury on his face, Kaiba drew his next card. He was done talking. "Let's finish this," he said. He played the pot of greed which allowed him to draw two new cards to refresh his deck.

"As if that'll save you," Noah commented.

"Now's the time to access my deck master's special ability," said Kaiba. "Kaiser sea horse allows me to summon a more powerful monster without sacrificing a different monster. So now I call to the field my unstoppable different dimension dragon. Then I'll place these three cards face down and end my turn."

"What's Kaiba thinking? Noah's dino is going to blast Kaiba's dragon into oblivion, just like last time," said Joey. "Noah could win this duel in his next turn. This is not good."

"Kaiba's not an idiot, Joey," I said.

Yugi and Tea gave me the same look that clearly said, 'be nice, Olive'. "I'm sure those three face down cards are part of his plan to win this."

"That's all you've got?" asked Noah. "What a pity. I was expecting a challenge, but it looks like this duel is about to end." He activated the magic card deepest impact. The sky turned deep orange.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Duke, frowning.

I looked up at the sky and took his hand. I wasn't sure who I was comforting - him or me.

Meteorites began to shoot out of the sky and hit the ground with so much force that it shook.

"Tell me when it's over!" monkey-Tristan exclaimed in fear.

Smoke filled the sky and then the sky darkened and everything turned icy.

"History tells us that the age of the dinosaurs ended with a meteor shower. Then the earth cooled off and as we all know, there were no dinosaurs in the ice age." Ice covered Noah's dinosaur til it was frozen and it fell to the ground. "So, goodbye, my giant rex." It fell and broke into pieces.

"That rex was _his_," said Yugi in shock.

"This is getting weird," said Joey. "Call me crazy, but if you ask me that boy's not right in the head."

A horrible shiver ran through my body. I was only wearing shorts and a tank top and I had no idea why. I didn't even have shoes on. Was this how I normally dressed? Like a sleepy homeless person? Clearly my parents weren't so famous after all.


	49. Duel: Seto vs Noah Part 2

Chapter Forty-Nine

"You may be wondering why I used my deepest impact magic card to wipeout all monsters on the field and cut both of our life points in half. Well, it's all part of evolution, Seto. It weeds out the weak and helpless and allows only the strong to thrive," said Noah.

"Then I'm safe," said Kaiba.

"Guess again," Noah sneered. "My magic card, ice age panic, is about to lead to your extinction by allowing me to summon the most powerful beast of the ice age. Meet last tusk mammoth." A gigantic mammoth appeared on the field and began to stomp the ground.

"Aw, man," said Joey. "That's nuts."

But I caught the slight smile on Kaiba's lips and I knew he was still very confident.

"Now," said Kaiba, "time to bring back this. Different dimension dragon, return to me now, in defense mode. My beast has the power to travel between dimensions and now he's back in ours. Unfortunately for you, my dragon is stronger than your mammoth. Brace yourself. I'm about to rewrite history by cutting short the ice age. Prepare to lose your mammoth. His time is up."

"You should know better than anyone that the past can't be changed," said Noah. "My tusk mammoth will destroy your dragon."

"Is it me, or is Noah going to attack a monster that's stronger than him?" asked monkey-Tristan.

"You're in for quite a surprise now," said Noah. "You'll never defeat me. I'm in control here. Mokuba understands that now. Why can't you?" Kaiba scowled and I could almost hear him growl when Noah said Mokuba's name. "This is my world, and you're my prisoner. Forever!"

"Go ahead and attack me. My monster is stronger," said Kaiba.

"Wait!" Yugi shouted. "Due to the special ability of his tusk mammoth, both players will lose life points when it's destroyed." "So if Kaiba destroys that thing…" Joey started. "…It's like he's attacking himself too," Yugi finished.

"We've got to stop him!" said Tea.

"Mammoth, attack!" shouted Noah.

Kaiba activated an attack card called ring of destruction. It stopped his mammoth in his tracks.

"I see you're getting desperate Seto. It's true your ring of destruction will stop my tusk mammoth, but I'm afraid you'll lose life points too," said Noah.

"Not when I activate my magic card ring of defense! It will shield my life points," said Kaiba.

The tusk mammoth was destroyed without hurting Kaiba and everyone cheered. I just smiled though. Watching Kaiba duel was soothing. Familiar, somehow and I was content to just watch for now.

"Nice move, Kaiba!" Joey yelled. "Way to put that little runt in his place!"

I shivered.

"Do you want my vest?" Duke asked me.

I smiled. "That won't do much," I said. "No sleeves." I pointed at my feet. "And still no shoes. Clearly I wasn't planning on being kidnapped the last time I woke up. Thank you, though."

"Looks like your ice age is over," said Kaiba. The snow was clearing up and there was a huge crevice left in the earth. "I guess you don't control everything here."

"They're both down to their last chunk of life points," Joey pointed them out.

"Let's just hope Kaiba can wipe out Noah's first," said Yugi, frowning.

Kaiba drew a card.

"It's time to finish you off," he said.

"Ha," said Noah, smirking. "I'm shaking in my boots," he said, sarcastically.

"You should be," Kaiba snarled. "First, I'll change my dragon to attack mode. Next, I'll send my thunder dragon to the card graveyard where he'll be absorbed by Shinato's ark, but not before his special skill kicks in, giving me two more dragons. But that's not all, Noah. Next I'll use polymerization to fuse the two of them together, forming twin-headed thunder dragon."

"I'd hate to meet that thing in a dark alley," Joey commented.

"Thanks to my quick attack magic card, I can attack right now," said Kaiba. "With no monsters to protect you, your life points are as good as gone."

"You seem to have forgotten about the special affects of my ark, Seto," said Noah. "Every monster that is sent to the graveyard lives on board and I have access to all of them. Observe!" He pointed upwards and two monsters appeared on the field.

"Dammit!" Tea exclaimed. "I thought Kaiba had him that time."

"Is anyone else sick of duels?" I asked.

Joey shot me a look and then ignored me to answer Tea's question. "I guess not," he said.

Kaiba just laughed. "You fool," he said. "You fell right into my trap. Now I can wipeout what's left of your life points and end this family feud. I didn't forget your deck master's ability. I'm an experienced duelist, Noah. I'm not an idiot. I wanted you to summon those monsters for one reason. So I could play this." He revealed a trap card called dragon's rage. If the defense points of Noah's monsters were lower than the attack points of Kaiba's monsters, then the difference would come out of Noah's life points. Kaiba's different dimension dragon attacked and one monster was destroyed and his life points were reduced to four hundred.

Yugi and Joey high fived.

"Hell yea! Beat that last monster and it's over!" yelled Joey.

"This is where it all ends," said Kaiba.

"No it's not," I whispered, but no one heard me except for Marik, of course.

Noah smiled.

"Twin headed dragon…" Kaiba began.

"Don't do it…" a familiar voice suddenly echoed through the air.

Mokuba appeared on Noah's side of the field.

Kaiba was completely thrown off guard. "What's going on?" he demanded. "What have you done to him?" Mokuba's eyes were completely dark and vacant.

"Whoever you are," said Mokuba to his brother, Kaiba, "if you want to attack my brother, Noah, you'll have to go through me." He held up his arms protectively.

Kaiba looked like he'd been slapped across the face and I frowned.

"Mokuba, snap out of it," said Kaiba.

"He's been brain washed by Noah," said monkey-Tristan.

Noah laughed, loud and mocking. "That's right, Mokuba. Protect me from him," said Noah, clearly enjoying this power he had. "He's just a stranger trying to break you and I apart." "Stranger," Mokuba whispered, echoing what Noah said.

"No. It's me," said Kaiba.

"Mokuba's chosen sides based upon his own free will," said Noah. "Maybe you should have treated him with more respect. I give him the support you never could. It didn't have to be this way, Seto, but you left me with no choice. Now you have a decision to make: forfeit this duel and step down as President of Kaiba Corp, or continue with your final attack and risk losing Mokuba for good. Your brother's fate is in your hands."

"If Kaiba attack now, he'll be attacking Mokuba also," said Yugi, sounding shocked that even Noah would do this.

"So what's it gonna be?" asked Noah. "Mokuba, or control of Kaiba Corp? Decide. Your choice will impact the rest of your life."

"Noah, I'm only going to say this once," said Kaiba, his voice shaking with emotion, particularly anger. "Release Mokuba _now_. This is _our_ fight. Is that clear? He has nothing to do with this!"

"There you go disrespecting Mokuba again, acting like his opinion doesn't matter," said Noah. "Tell him, Mokuba."

Mokuba's eyes started to glow red. "Give Kaiba Corp to Noah now!" he demanded.

"I can't believe that," I said.

"It looks like Mokuba has made his position quite clear. Now, are you going to attack me or not? If you do, just remember you'll be striking Mokuba," said Noah.

"You coward!" Kaiba exclaimed.

"That's not fair!" Joey yelled.

"Well, Seto?" asked Noah. "Attack and you'll win the duel. But at what cost?"

"This is a no brainer. Kaiba has to attack. If he lets Noah win, then we all lose," said Duke.

I smacked him in the chest. "That's Mokuba, Duke! That's his little brother!" I said.

"Sorry, I forgot you don't want to know who you are and you just want to live here forever," said Duke, sarcastically.

"I _don't_ want to stay here forever, stupid. But I don't want Mokuba to get hurt either," I said.

"You don't want to stay here forever? But we've been having such a nice time," said Duke, still sarcastic.

I smacked his chest again.

"You two wanna just hook up and stop arguing like an old married couple?" Joey snapped.

"What's it gonna be? Your victory, or Mokuba?" asked Noah.

"Alright," said Kaiba, "I'll end my turn."

"I thought so," said Yugi.

Noah laughed in triumph. "I knew you were too weak to go through with your attack. You can't possibly run a company efficiently if you're so quick to give into your competition. Excellent work, Mokuba. I couldn't ask for a better brother," said Noah.

"Thanks!" said Mokuba, smiling. He turned and ran to stand beside Mokuba.

"What a team," said Noah. "Now let's finish this stranger off, shall we?"

"Yea. Let's go. This creep doesn't stand a chance," said Mokuba.

"You heard the boy, Seto. It's time for you to experience another of my deck master's special skills," said Noah.

"And what's that, kid?" asked Kaiba.

"Observe, as I unleash Shinato's Arks greatest power: restoration of light! Remember, every monster in the card graveyard is now aboard my ark's deck. That is a total of twelve passengers…" said Noah.

"Oh, no," Tea whispered, panicked.

"…Now I choose to remove every one of them," Noah continued. "As you can see, every monster that I obliterate transfers its power to my life points, making me unstoppable. And since I get a five hundred point boost from each monster, I receive six thousand more life points. Now I'm even stronger than I was when we began."

"He'll never beat us now, Noah!" said Mokuba, triumphantly, that same dead look in his eyes.

"One more attack and Kaiba's gone," said Joey.

"You're right, Joey," said Yugi, "and if Noah wins this duel, he'll take over Kaiba's body and escape to the real world to run Kaiba Corp, leaving the rest of us trapped here."

"Any predictions, Nostradamus?" Joey asked me.

I shook my head no without answering.

Noah played dark hole, which destroyed all monsters in play. They became passengers aboard Noah's ark and then ended his turn. Kaiba was watching Mokuba with pain in his eyes and a frown on his face.

Yugi put his hands up to his mouth and shouted, "Kaiba! Listen to me!"

Kaiba looked at him. "No thanks," he said.

"But I can help you, Kaiba, cuz I've been through this before. Remember when Joey was brainwashed by Marik?" Yugi asked.

"Asshole," I whispered to Marik.

"One of my finger moments," he countered.

"Joey turned against me too. Maybe you can get through to Mokuba the same way that I got through to Joey," said Yugi. "The answer may be in your deck."

"Let's go, you have a duel to lose," Noah taunted.

"Not only am I planning to win this duel, I'll also win back my brother," said Kaiba. "So watch this." Kaiba drew a card and looked at it.

"Disappointed?" asked Noah.

"I still have this card," said Kaiba. He played different dimension dragon. "I'll switch it into defense mode and end my turn. Let's see if you can get passed this."

"Of course I can," said Noah, rolling his eyes. "But first, let's change the scenery a little. I think I'll warm things up a little bit and put an end to the ice age. As you know, the fall of the ice age made way for the rise of mankind." The snow disappeared and was replaced by green grass, flowers, beautiful trees. And beyond the trees, there were buildings, a city. There was one, tall, familiar skyscraper in particular. "Eventually, cities grew and gave way to large corporations," said Noah.

"What's that?" asked Serenity, pointing at the skyscraper.

"That's Kaiba Corp," said Joey.

"Explain yourself," said Kaiba.

"Well, since that's _your_ company, I thought you'd like to see it one final time," he grinned. "You see, once you lose and I take over Kaiba Corp, I'll change it back to the way it was. And if you don't remember, let me refresh your memory. Like so many of the high tech battle vehicles that were produced by the _original _Kaiba Corp, my gradius flyer can cause an enormous amount of damage," said Noah, playing a card. It looked like a high tech jet. He added two magic cards to make it even stronger. Then he attacked Kaiba's dragon.

I cringed when the attack hit and Kaiba's dragon was destroyed. Kaiba's life points dropped to six hundred. Kaiba left his dragon in defense mode and ended his turn.

"That's the move of a man who has nothing left to do," said Noah. "I knew you were no match for my superior mind and once I defeat you, everyone else will know as well. Then I'll finally be able to run Kaiba Corp as I was always meant to."

"You may control this little virtual fantasy land, but there's no way you'll make it in the real world, Noah," said Kaiba, calmly.

This seemed to upset Noah greatly. A look of surprise, shock, and worry flashed across his face. "We'll see!" he yelled. "I'm aware of what it's like in the real world and after ruling this digital universe, I have no doubt that running Kaiba Corp will be a simple task - one that I was raised to do for my entire life. That is until you came into the picture and took everything away from me. It's my turn o take it all from you! First I took your little brother and now I'll take your identity! Now. Let's end this duel."

Noah played a magic card that gave him a double of his first aircraft. He fired at Kaiba's dragon, which destroyed it and reduced his life points to five hundred.

"Mokuba," said Kaiba.

"It's not use. He's with me," said Noah. "How's it feel to lose your only friend?" he taunted.

"I'm Kaiba's friend," I said.

"How the hell would you know?" Noah spat.

I shrugged. "I just do," I said, with a little smile. "And you know what else, little boy? You had to brainwash Mokuba to leave Kaiba. So actually, you have no friends. No real friends."

He pointed at me, his hand shaking in anger. "You just wait, Olive," he said.

He attacked again and Kaiba was blasted backwards. He fell to the ground.

"Look at the mighty Seto Kaiba now," said Noah.

"Mokuba, snap out of it! I need you to win this!" Kaiba said. He got to his knees and struggled to stand back up. He was tired.

"You're one attack away from total annihilation," said Noah.

"I'm not done!" Kaiba yelled.

"Come on, Kaiba!" Joey cheered.

"Get rid of this kid!" added Tristan.

"It will take more than a few attacks to keep me down and it's my move now," said Kaiba.

"What a shame," said Noah. "Sometimes it's best to stay down. The sooner you give into my power, the less suffering you'll have to do, Seto. Mokuba realized that fact."

"Mokuba!" Yugi suddenly yelled, making me jump with surprise. "I know you're in there! Noah is hypnotizing you and telling you lies! Seto is your brother! Not Noah! And Seto has never let you down!"

Mokuba raised his hand to his head as if he had a terrible headache.

"Look inside your heart and you'll remember him!" Yugi yelled.

"Seto?" whispered Mokuba.

"They're just trying to break us apart, Mokuba," said Noah.

"Mokuba, listen to me!" Kaiba yelled. "Don't let Noah poison your mind! We are family and no one can ever change that! You and I have always been there to support one another and we always will be. There's something I've never told you, Mokuba. You once saved me! It was when we were kids. When Gozaboro Kaiba adopted us, he was merciless, forcing me to work hours with no rest. I was exhausted and ready to give up until you inspired me, Mokuba. You hid my deck inside of one of my textbooks but you drew me one special card - you drew me a blue eyes card. By making that card for me, you encouraged me not to give up. You gave me something to strive for. I swore that day to become a person worthy of possessing a real blue eyes."

A tear ran down Mokuba's face. "I…remember…" he said.

"That's right, Mokuba. I know you can't forget about me. You're strong and I know you can break through his mind games. Never give up! And never let anyone control you!" said Kaiba.

I frowned. For some reason, those words made my stomach twist in knots.

"…can't…give…up…" Mokuba whispered, each word a struggle.

"Keep fighting!" said Kaiba. "We can do this! You and I, together!" Kaiba drew another card and I saw triumph and confidence in his eyes. "Excellent. This duel is over, Noah. With the special ability of my deck master, I only need to sacrifice one monster so that I can summon this! Behold, the power of my blue eyes white dragon!" The clouds turned dark and the blue eyes white dragon appeared on the field. Lightening struck the ground and Mokuba stared at it in awe.

"There it is!" he exclaimed, his eyes seeming clearer. He blinked and his eyes were no longer filled with darkness. "I remember!" he said.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba cried out in relief and surprise.

"Seto!" Mokuba called back. "My brother."

"He's our enemy, Mokuba," said Noah, frowning.

"Too fucking late! Mokuba's back with us!" Joey yelled.

"Why in the world do you cuss so much?" asked Serenity.

"Later, you phony," said Mokuba, getting ready to jump away from Noah.

But Noah reached out to grab his arm.

As he reached out, I felt my arm raise and I pointed my palm directly at the spot between them. Purple-white light shot out of my hand and knocked Noah's away.

Everyone turned to look at me, but I ignored them and only met Noah's eyes. He was furious, but so was I.

"Amazing," said Marik, sounding breathless, even in my mind.

Mokuba jumped away from Noah.

"Attack! Now, Kaiba!" Yugi yelled.

"Blue eyes white dragon! Attack his gradius!" Kaiba ordered.

Noah's life points dropped and he was now out of monsters.

"Don't celebrate just yet," said Noah. "There's still my deck master." His life points were increased by twenty five hundred.

"Oh no," said monkey-Tristan. "He'll never go down to zero."

Noah caught my eye again and glared. "You'll pay for that, Olive. How dare you try to use power against me in a world I control?"

"Do your worst," I challenged.

Noah went to draw a card, but Kaiba told him to hold on.

"I have you right where I want you. It's time to figure out who really is the best," said Kaiba. "There is one move left. Reveal the trap card last turn! It all comes down to this. Watch this, Mokuba."

"What's going on?" asked Tea, as dust began to swirl in a funnel around the playing field.

"Here's how this works," said Kaiba. "We each pick one monster to keep on the field and all other monsters will go directly to the graveyard. The two chosen monsters will face each other in a one on one battle to the finish. When the fight is over, only one of our monsters will remain standing."

"The winner of this one battle will determine who wins this entire duel, no matter how many life points are left," said Yugi.

"May the strongest duelist win," said Kaiba. "I choose my blue eyes."

"Alright, I choose my deck master," said Noah.

"It's time for me to sink your ship now and finish you off!" said Kaiba. His blue eyes white dragon attacked. There was a burst of light and the ship seemed to explode. There was wood falling from the sky, but inside the ark was Shinato, Noah's real deck master. Shinato attacked and Kaiba's blue eyes was destroyed. Kaiba was blasted backwards and he fell to the ground.

"Seto!" Mokuba yelled.

"Oh no!" yelled Tea.

I felt my heart stop.

Noah laughed. "Seto, I've finally done it. I've proven that I'm superior to you! Did you see that, Father? I defeated Seto! Now I can finally take over Kaiba Corp like I was always meant to. For I am the most powerful being in the world!" Noah's feet left the ground and he rose into the air. "Now to perform one final task before I exit this place."

"What's that freak doing?" asked Joey.

"Ready?" asked Noah. His body sunk into Shinato's body. "I'll now merge together with my deck master to deliver the last blow of this duel. You see, I've decided not to escape to the real world in your body, Seto, since I have so many to choose from."

"Mine's taken," I said, holding my hands up, and Marik laughed.

"Besides, that's no fun. I've got bigger plans. Shinato and I want to turn you into a permanent fixture in this virtual world."

Kaiba was on his knees. He looked miserable in his defeat. "Hey!" yelled Mokuba, running over to him. Kaiba looked up. "Seto!"

"Mokuba," said Kaiba, smiling.

They reached out for each other.

"This reunion sure is touching, but I'm afraid I'll have to cut it short," said Noah.

"No!" I screamed. I was running before I knew what I was doing, but Duke was right behind me. He grabbed me from behind. I fought him, but between the feeling of hysteria that had possessed me, exhaustion, and panic, I was weaker than I expected myself to be. There were tears streaming down my face. I was flailing, but Duke just held me. I turned to hit him, but he grabbed blocked my hit and pulled me into his arms.

A blast of light hit Mokuba and Seto and the Kaiba brothers were turned to stone, their fingers just missing each other.

Duke let me go then and I ran over to the now statues of the Kaiba brothers.

"I always thought they were hard headed," said Noah. "So I've turned them into a living sculpture. So close, yet they'll never reach one another. How tragic."

I reached them first and fell to my knees. I touched Kaiba's boots, now stone, and continued to sob. A few moments later, Duke was there. I stood up and shoved him.

"Why did you stop me?" I demanded. "I could have stopped this!"

But they rest of my friends were there too and Yugi was no longer Yugi. He was Yami and his face was filled with rage. "You think this proves you're the best?" he demanded. "All this shows your father is that you're a coward!"

"What are you talking about, Yugi?" Noah demanded. "I defeated Seto in this duel fair and square."

"Guess again!" Yami snapped. "You think kidnapping Mokuba and using him as a shield is fair?" Yami was outraged.

"You think I cheated?" Noah sounded disgusted by the thought.

"I think you are guilty of the same foul play you once scolded the Big Five for," said Yami. "That's something you said your father would _never_ allow! Kaiba could have easily defeated you, Noah! He chose the safety of his little brother over his victory. That makes Kaiba a stronger person than you will ever be! All you've proven here today is that you're a weak little boy who needs to cheat to get his way. As far as I'm concerned, you didn't win this duel." Yami stooped to pick up Kaiba's fallen cards. "Still, I have a proposition for you. Kaiba has four hundred life points left. Let me take his place so we can finish this duel fair and square."

"That could be the most foolish challenge I've ever heard," said Noah.

"Does that mean you accept, or are you afraid I'll defeat you?" asked Yami, shuffling the cards.

"I'd be crazy not to accept," said Noah.

"Yugi, don't be an idiot. He's got over seven thousand life points to your four hundred," said Joey.

"Careful, Joey's right for a change," said monkey-Tristan.

"Yami…" I whispered and he turned to meet my eyes.

He took a deep breath and laid his forehead against mine. "I know you don't remember who you are, but I was told I should listen to you. That you are wise, that we have always worked together and helped each other. Olive, if you tell me not to duel him, then I'll walk away."

"Once I defeat _you_, Yugi, I'll turn everyone of you into stone," said Noah.

"Just try it!" Joey yelled at Noah, angrily.

I could tell it took Yami a lot of self control not to look away from me.

"You have to win," I said to Yami. "If you don't win, I may never know who I am again."

He nodded and then kissed my forehead. "I will," he promised, "Don't be sad," he said. "Don't be afraid. We will get back to the real world and we will figure out all of the other secrets."

I nodded and hugged him. "Thank you," I whispered.

He turned and stepped forward, his deck master following him.

"I think we need a little privacy, don't you?" asked Noah.

The earth Yami stood on rose up into the air so that he was standing on a circular, floating rock.

"As I was saying," said Noah. "I'll turn all but one of you into stone. After all, I do need a body to escape in."

"And if you lose, you'll set us all free. So in the name of Kaiba and Mokuba, let's duel now!" Yami declared.

"May pleasure," said Noah. "And may the best duelist win. When I do, you and your friends will be prisoners of my world forever."


	50. Noah's Final Threat pt 1

Chapter Fifty

Joey and Tea backed away, looking up at Yami with worry in their eyes. Tea put her arm around Serenity comfortingly. Duke took my elbow and tried to get me to back up too, but I pulled my arm away from him.

"Olive, come on," said Duke.

"I should go up there with him," I said.

"Yea, you should. I forgot you were so good at jumping," said Duke, sarcastically.

"Shut up," I said.

He took my elbow again and we backed up.

"Yugi must be out of his fucking mind to go through with this duel," said Joey.

"You're starting this match with only four hundred life points, thanks to your friend, Seto," said Noah. "Taking his place was stupid."

"Noah, you overpowered Kaiba using deceit and betrayal, then you used your virtual technology to turn him and Mokuba into stone," said Yami, furiously. "If you think that makes you a superior duelist, you're sadly mistaken."

"Believe what you wish, but as soon as I finish refreshing my deck with new cards, you and your friends will meet the same fate as Seto and Mokuba."

"Yugi's been involved in some pretty tough duels against some psychos in the past, but I think Noah beats them all," said Joey.

I could feel my stomach churning, looking up at Yami.

"Are you okay?" asked Marik.

"No," I thought. "No, how could I be okay? I'm useless. I should be up there helping him."

"Everything will be okay," said Marik.

"What? What if everything's _not_ okay? He could hurt all of us and I'll never forgive myself," I thought. "I should be helping."

"Calm down," Marik said.

"Calm down?" I asked, panicked. "Calm down?"

Tea, Duke, Serenity, Joey, and monkey-Tristan all turned to look at me. I realized that I'd spoken out loud. I pursed my lips and glanced at all of them awkwardly, in turn.

"Talking to yourself again?" asked Joey.

"This is normal behavior, I take it," said Duke.

"Oh, sweetie, you need to calm down," said Tea. "Everything will be okay."

"I'm just overwhelmed," I said, in an unconvincing voice.

"Like I said," said Marik, in my head. "Calm down. And stop yelling out loud. Everything will be okay. Things will be okay. I'm not exactly through with you. And you've got your Bakura waiting for you back in reality."

"You. Be. Quiet," I thought.

"Yugi's almost out of life points and he has no monsters on the field," Joey commented. "And Noah merged himself with his deck master."

"So weird," said Serenity.

"I've gotta agree with Serenity," said Tea. "That's pretty damn weird."

"He likes feeling powerful," I said. "He's just a little boy with a big ego. And without any monsters on the field, Noah's going to be able to crush Yami with one attack."

"Yami, huh?" asked Tea, giving me a weird look.

"Yea," I said.

"I didn't know you were calling him that again," she said.

"That's his name, right?" I responded.

"It's Yugi," said Joey. "Where did this nickname 'Yami' come from."

"That's his name," I said.

"I'm going to be stuck as a robot monkey," Tristan-monkey said, looking distraught.

"Yugi, we're all here for you!" said Tea. "I know you can save Mokuba and Kaiba and get us out of this place. Now, kick Noah's ass!"

"Blah, blah, blah," said Noah. "Let's get on with this. I'm about ready to silence your cheerleaders by turning them into statues too. And what pretty statues some of them will make. Now, Yugi, you go first."

"Fine," said Yami. "Let's duel. You think you can control us all like pawns, but I'm here to end your games." He drew a card and then played it - gazelle king of mythical beasts in defense mode to protect his life points.

"Good," Joey commented.

"Alright!" said Duke.

"I wouldn't be so quick to celebrate," said Noah. He drew his own card, but used Shinato to attack Yami's gazelle.

And Yami's life points decreased.

My stomach sunk.

"It seems Shinato's special ability has caught you off guard. When my monster destroys a monster in defense mode, you lose half your life points. But guess what? That's not the only thing that happens. It gets worse. All of the life points you just lost get added to mine."

"What?" I exclaimed, in fury and shock. "Because you really need more life points, don't you?" I was so upset.

"Yugi's still going to beat him," said Joey.

"You were a fool to think you could beat me," said Noah. From the way he spoke, it was easy to tell he looked down on all of us.

Great. We had a rich, spoiled, power hungry kid with a superiority-complex on our hands. And not only that, but he had the power to turn us to stone. Standing beside the statue of Kaiba, I felt myself unconsciously reach out to touch his shoulder. I felt a jolt in my stomach and wondered if he could feel my hand on his shoulder. I wondered what he thought of it. Was he hearing all of this? Was he trapped in his own mind in there, still hearing, still seeing, but unable to move, unable to speak, but still knowing what was going on. Still knowing we were there. It made me wonder. Who were we - Seto and me - in the real world? What did I think of him? Because right now, my feelings were conflicted. I couldn't remember what we had been before, but I knew that for some reason I was drawn to him.

I remembered him hugging me when I'd first appeared in the forest with him and Mokuba. I remembered the way he held my waist firmly, protectively. I remembered walking with him and Mokuba across the sand. I remembered sitting next to him and listening to him while he explained to me that we used to date and about a card game tournament I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember what else had happened, but I remembered loving the sound of his voice and I remembered this intense feeling of missing him.

Even now.

I I missed him.

And the scary thing was, what if getting out of this world was like waking up? And when I woke up, I didn't miss him?

And who was this Bakura person that Marik had mentioned?

"You and your friends are about to pay the price," said Noah. "You put your friends at risk to defend the honor of someone who doesn't even like you."

"He likes me," I found myself thinking, almost desperately.

"Actually, Kaiba and I have quite a bit in common," said Yami. "We are both participants in an ancient struggle that dates back five thousand years. A struggle that Olive is deeply involved in. Kaiba and I have something else in common. Something that you'd know nothing about, Noah."

"Oh yea? And what's that?" asked Noah.

"He duels with honor and respect," Yami said.

"Is that so?" asked Noah. "And you think that makes you both superior to me?"

"It makes us human," said Yami, simply.

"Well, you won't be human for long. Once I destroy what's left of your life points, you'll all just be motionless objects," said Noah. "Do you honestly believe you can win this with only two hundred life points left?"

"Yes. I'll take you down," said Yami .He drew a card and placed it face down in defense mode. He ended his turn.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Yami?" I asked.

He looked at me and smiled, but he seemed unsure of himself. "Yes, Olive," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Noah drew a card called a spirit monster and placed it in attack mode. He attacked Yami's face down defense card, but his special affect protected it. Noah activated a magic card that gave him five hundred life points whenever a card was returned to his had. His life points were raised to over eight thousand.

"This is crazy," said Joey.

"You broke the rules, yet again. You can't just call a card back to your hand," said Yami.

"That's where you're wrong," said Noah. "When Maximillion Pegasus was designing the game of duel monsters, his travels took him to the mystical orient. It was there that he learned of the legendary spirit monsters - beings with otherworldly powers. He decided to base a series of cards on these beasts, giving them the ability to return to their owners hands after every turn," Noah explained. "How dare you accuse me of cheating, Yugi."

"Pegasus?" I whispered.

"He created the modern day game of duel monsters," said Marik, in my mind. "You met him when you went to the duel monsters tournament last year."

I nodded slowly. "How do you know so much about me?" I thought.

"I'm in your mind, Olive," said Marik. "I can look through any memories I can find." I could practically feel that he was smirking. "It's not a bad deal, if I do say so myself."

I frowned.

Yami drew a card and stared at it. I could tell he was thinking, I only wished I knew exactly what he was thinking. He placed a monster in defense mode. Noah summoned another spirit monster. It attacked and destroyed Yami's monster. Then Noah's monster had a special effect that was activated. It got ready to attack again. It attacked Yami's last monster, but it turned out to be a card called cyber jar. All monsters on the field were destroyed. Noah's Shinato should have been destroyed as well, but Noah activated a second special ability called reverse all. The cyber jar burst into a bunch of pieces. When the smoke cleared, Noah was gone.

"What happened to Noah?" asked Duke.

"He's gone," said Tea, shocked.

"What's the deal?" asked Joey.

"I thought Yugi just won the duel," said Serenity, uncertainly.

"He did," said Joey.

Duke moved closer to me. "Olive," he said. "Stay close to me."

"What? Why?" I asked, looking around, suspiciously. But I felt myself moving closer to him anyway. He took my hand and I let him hold it.

What looked like a hole appeared in the sky and Shinato reappeared. Noah seemed to fall out of Shinato. He landed on the platform of earth floating across from an identical stone that Yami was standing on.

"I guess Yugi didn't win the duel," said Duke.

"How were you able to escape?" asked Yami.

"It's simple, Yugi," said Noah. "Shinato has more than one power and before the attack was finished, one of those was activated. Whenever Shinato is targeted by an attack, Shinato's reversal is activated. Shinato can't be summoned back to the field for the duration of the duel."

"That means you can't use Shinato to attack for the rest of the duel," said Yami.

Because of another affect of his cyber jar, the each had to draw five cards and summon all of the monster cards that they drew. Yami summoned two monsters in defense mode. Noah, however, didn't draw any monsters. And now it was Yami's turn. He sacrificed both his monsters and added another monster to his hand. He was able to summon his dark magician. With no monsters on the field to defend him, Noah's life points were attacked directly.

"Yes!" Joey cheered.

"How dare you humiliate me like this," Noah said, angrily. "I deserve to be respected for my ultimate power."

"You must earn respect, not demand it," said Yami. "No one deserves to be locked away in isolation like you were by your father. But that's no excuse for your actions against Kaiba and Mokuba."

"That's enough!" Noah snapped, his voice seeming to echo all through the air. He activated a magic card that looked like a magic carpet. His dark magician was laid across it and Noah was able to summon a dragon.

"It's stronger than Yugi's dark magician!" Tristan-monkey exclaimed.

The dragon attacked and Yami's dark magician was gone. Noah recalled his spirit monster to his hand.

Yami looked worried.

He only had one hundred life points left now.

"Come on, Yugi! Don't let this kid push you around!" Tea called.

"Tea's right!" said Joey. "You got this, man. We're all behind you."

Yami turned, he looked at all of us, but his eyes stayed on mine. I smiled and thought, "Yami, stay strong. Everything's going to be okay."

He smiled like he'd heard me and I wondered if he had.

I smiled too and it seemed to reinforce some kind of reassurance.

"The safety of all my friends depends on my victory. Let's get on with this," said Yami.

He activated a magic card, swords of revealing light. Noah couldn't attack for three moves. Noah seemed infuriated. Yami summoned Kuriboh, who attacked Noah's life points. Noah placed a monster face down in defense mode and ended his turn. Yami drew another card and then summoned a card called big shield guardna in defense mode. He switched Kuriboh in defense mode and ended his turn.

Noah placed another monster in defense mode and placed another card face down on the field. There was one more turn til Noah could attack again. Yami drew another card. He placed it face down and ended his turn.

"Well, I think it's pretty clear how this duel will end. In one more turn, I'll win this duel and you and your friends will be turned to stone," said Noah.

"You can beat this guy, Yugi!" called Tea, always the cheerleader.

"Your friends still think you can win," Noah scoffed. "I guess they're more clueless than I thought."

"Clueless?" I asked, stepping towards them and ahead of the group. "Clueless? God, who are you to call us clueless? You have no idea, Noah. You're pathetic!" I spat.

"Why don't you come down here and say that!" Joey challenged. "You're jealous because Yugi over here actually has friends and you're just a spoiled little brat who's angry at the world cuz someone stuck you in the computer with no one to hang out with but your pathetic self."

"Joey…" said Yami, surprised.

"Well, I think your friend made his point," said Noah. "Now it's my turn. I've listened to your loud mouth friends insult me for too long! So take this!"

There was an explosion of light the hit directly behind me. It felt like someone had slammed my head against the concrete. Black spots appeared in front of my eyes as pain shot through my head. I felt my stomach sink. Before I even turned to look, I heard Joey exclaim, "Duke!" I saw Yami gasp and I forced myself to turn and look.

Duke was turned to stone behind me.

I felt tears spring into the corners of my eyes.

Noah was laughing, but I could barely hear him. He sounded so far away. "Much better," I heard him say. "That was fun. I can't wait to turn you all into stone, so you know what I think? I think I'll turn one of you to stone with each turn I take. What do you say?"

"I say I'll rearrange your face, you little shit," Joey growled.

I shook my head to snap myself out of shock and turned back to stare at Noah.

Noah met my gaze and smirked.

"Shut up," Noah snapped at Joey. "Or you'll be next to go. Since you're all just so confident that Yugi's going to win, your fate is now in his hands. With each turn that Yugi fails to defeat me, another of you will be turned to stone. You'll be frozen in time with a look of despair on your face because Yugi failed to save you. In the end, Yugi, you'll be left in the middle of a circle of motionless statues that were once your friends."

Yami smiled and gave a little laugh.

"What's so funny?" Noah snapped. Clearly this was no the reaction Noah had been expecting.

"You're just a child," Yami said, quietly. "Six years may have passed, but I'm afraid you haven't matured at all. You're just a weak little boy." "I'm strong!" Noah protested.

"Not strong enough," said Yami. "Just look," he pointed back at us.

"You can still beat this ass," said Joey.

"That's right," said Tea. "Don't you even think about giving up this fight, Yugi."

Energy crackled in the air around me as pain continued to shoot through my head. I took a deep breath and breathed out slowly. "Do not stop until you've crushed this child, Yami," I said. "There is no way this kid will win. He is foolish, he is selfish and he has so much to learn. You think you can run a company? You think that people in the real world are just going to let you push them around and walk all over them? I have news for you, Noah. In the real world, you can't turn people to stone. You can summon random monsters out of thin air. In the real world, you have to be grown up enough to discuss things, admit when you're wrong, and deal with it when you don't get your way."

"I always get my way," said Noah.

"Then you aren't ready for the real world, are you?" I asked. I was yelling now, furious. I felt tears on my cheeks, but I couldn't stop. "You think I get every damn thing I want? You think Joey or Duke or Tea get everything they want? And what about Kaiba? Do you think he wanted every shitty thing that's happened in his life? You don't get everything you want in the real world. Grow up."

"I cannot wait to shut you up, Olive," said Noah. "How can you all still have faith in Yugi?" he demanded.

"You wouldn't be so surprised if you'd ever experienced true friendship," I said, folding my arms. "You're just bitter."

"The only thing I need to know about friendship is how to destroy it!" Noah yelled. "My move!" He activated a face down trap card. It was a clock of destiny that made time move faster.

Yami's swords of revealing light were gone one move too soon.


	51. Noah's Final Threat pt 2

Chapter Fifty-One

Noah summoned a monster in attack mode. With his new monsters special ability, he could turn any of Yami's monsters from defense to attack mode, or vice versa. So Noah switched Kuriboh into attack mode. Yami looked slightly worried. If Kuriboh was attacked, Yami would lose. But Noah sacrificed his monster and his face down card to bring back his dragon from a few turns earlier. The dragon reared his heads, fire building in its mouths, and attacked.

I gritted my teeth and prepared for the full force of the attack to hit Yami and for the energy to hit the rest of us.

"Yugi!" Joey and Tea shouted.

"This can't happen!" Tea said, the worry evident in her voice.

"Finally, an end to this duel! You and your friends will be trapped here forever!" said Noah, triumphantly. The attack hit Kuriboh. "I've finally proven my point, Yugi. You see, no one is superior to me."

"You wish," Joey sneered.

"Yugi!" called Tea. "You lost…"

"Not quite," I said. The smoke from the attack had cleared, and Yami appeared unharmed. He hadn't lost any life points.

I smiled.

"What's the matter? You look shocked," Yami said to Noah.

"You…you should have lost the rest of your life points," said Noah.

"Take a closer look," said Yami.

Yami had activated a trap card. It was a card called nutrient z. Since Noah's card was strong enough to wipe out two thousand of Yami's life points, he was able to activate his trap card to protect him. Yami had received an additional four thousand life points before Noah's attack did any damage. He now had eighteen hundred life points.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Noah," said Yami.

"Did you forget?" asked Noah, grasping at the only advantage he held. "After every one of your turns ends, I'll turn one of your friends to stone."

"Noah!" Yami shouted.

"Relax, Yugi!" said Noah. "My turn is far from over."

The special ability of Noah's deck master kicked in and his life points were boosted to eighty two hundred. Then he played a magic card that raised his life points further, to ten thousand five hundred. Then his dragon returned to his hand, which activated his other magic card. Noah now had eleven thousand life points.

"Eleven thousand life points…" said Joey in disbelief.

"How is he ever going to get Noah down to zero?" asked monkey-Tristan.

I watched Yami's features. He was angry and worried. He glanced down at the statues of Mokuba, Kaiba, and Duke and I knew he was feeling guilty. I glanced at the statues myself and I knew how he was feeling. Even though I didn't have much to do with it, I somehow felt it was my fault. I should have done something. I should have forced Seto and Mokuba to stay near me or pushed Duke out of the way. Yami turned back to the duel, looking determined.

He played Alpha the Magnet warrior in attack mode and attacked Noah's life points. But it barely made a dent.

"I have so much power, I barely felt a thing," said Noah, shrugging off the attack.

"Fine," said Yami, frustrated. "Your move, then."

"Not so fast. First I must keep my word and turn one more of your friends into stone now," said Noah.

Lightning shot out of the sky with a crack of thunder. This time, monkey-Tristan was hit.

"No! Tristan!" Tea yelled.

"THIS MUST STOP!" Yami thundered.

"It will stop when all of you are turned to stone!" said Noah. "Then you'll all be trapped here."

"Look, Yugi's gonna shut this place down," said Joey. "Then we'll all be free, so your threats mean nothing. Threaten whoever you like, Noah."

"Whoever I want?" asked Noah, with an evil smile. "So I guess that includes your sister, Serenity? Fine. If Yugi doesn't win this turn, she's next."

"ENOUGH, NOAH!" Yami yelled.

"There's still a chance. All you have to do is beat me," said Noah, keeping a level tone. The angrier Yami got, the more pleased Noah seemed. "If not, then you'll just be trapped here forever!" He laughed. "Soon I'll prove that no one's better than me."

"Yami," I said. I wasn't talking particularly loud, but he turned to look at me. "Relax," I said, nodding at him. I tried to smile. "Just relax, okay?"

Noah drew a card and summoned a spirit monster that looked like a white rabbit. It had the ability to jump over Yami's monsters and directly attack his life points. The white rabbit attacked and Yami's life points dropped to eleven hundred.

"Now what?" asked Serenity.

"Relax," said Joey. He tried to smile at his sister, reassuringly, but I could tell he was worried.

"Serenity, Yami's got this," I told her.

She paused and then asked, "Yami?"

"Just a weird nickname Olive uses every so often," said Tea, giving me a weird look. "I'm a little surprised she remembers that."

"I'm not," Marik said in my mind.

"Oh yea?" I thought back at him. "And why's that?"

"Olive, I know so much more about you than you realize," Marik said.

"Of course you do," I thought. "You're in my head and I can't access any of my memories."

"Even if you had your memories, Olive," said Marik. "I know more about you than you think. I know about your past lives. I know a lot of the things that you and Yami are trying to figure out."

"And are you going to tell me after I get my memories back?" I asked him.

"We'll see," he said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means that we'll see," he replied.

"I think you must be an asshole in real life," I thought at him.

"That didn't stop you from wanting me," he shot back, sounding smug.

Yami drew a card and placed it face down on the field. Then he summoned his magnet warrior to summon his dark magician girl. He used her to attack his life points directly, but Noah didn't care.

"Was that your best shot?" he asked. "You'll have to do better than that if you want to save Joey's sister. Why don't you try again."

"I can't," said Yami. "I have to end my turn."

Joey hugged Serenity.

"Oh no!" she cried.

Noah laughed. "I guess it's time to say goodbye, Serenity," he said.

Lightning shot out of the sky again and Serenity shoved Joey away. "Get back, Joey!" she yelled, just before the lightning hit her. Joey looked devastated.

"Joey, I'm so sorry," said Yami.

"If you _really_ cared, you wouldn't have let that happen, Yugi," Noah scoffed. He brought back his white rabbit and asked, "You remember my rabbit, don't you?"

"I do, and I'm glad to see him. His arrival has triggered my trap card," said Yami. Once Noah summoned a monster, the trap card allowed Yami to bring a spell caster monster back from the grave. But first, Yami had to sacrifice one of his monsters and one of Noah's. He sacrificed Noah's rabbit and his own big shield guardna to bring back his Dark Magician.

I clapped and let out a cry of joy.

Noah placed one card face down and ended his turn.

"You have nothing to defend you and I have two monsters on the field," said Yami. "It's about time I turned this duel around."

The corners of Noah's eyes twitched in annoyance.

Yami drew a card.

"Prepare to release me and my friends from your twisted game," said Yami. "I activate dark magic ritual. This magic card allows me to summon a dark magical creature once I make a sacrifice. So, I'll sacrifice this card, my valkyrion the magna warrior. Now I'll summon my third magician - the magician of black chaos! This monster completes my trio of magical beasts that will combine to take you down. When added together, dark magician, dark magician girl, and magician of black chaos have over seven thousand attack points. Almost enough to wipe you out."

"He's got three dark magicians?" Tea asked, incredulously.

"Yea, but he's never had all three on the field at once," said Joey.

"This is good," I said. My stomach was doing flips. I felt alive. I had recognized Yami. I recognized these monsters. There was something so familiar in all of this and I finally felt like I knew something that was going on.

"Noah, this is for my friends!" Yami yelled. "Combine forces, my magicians, and strike his life points directly!"

But at the last minute, Noah activated a trap card. It moved dark magician girl in the way of the attack, which caused Yami's points to drop to three hundred. All of the life points Yami lost went to Noah.

"Bravo, Yugi, bravo," said Noah, clapping. "You've put on such a good show that I see no need to continue. So I'll transform your friends back to normal and we can end this duel."

Yami looked at us. "Don't toy with me," he said to Noah.

"I ask only one little favor in return, Yugi. I want you to forfeit the duel and admit I'm superior to you," said Noah. "It seems a small price to pay for your friends safe return. Of course, Seto and Mokuba will remain as they are and stay with me."

"Don't do it, Yami!" I yelled. "Don't give in to that little shit."

"You prick!" Joey yelled at Noah.

"Joey, Olive, stop it," said Tea. "You'll both be next."

"He can't play with people's lives like this," I said.

"Yugi, you can beat this creep fair and square and end his sick games," said Joey.

"What if I'm defeated?" asked Yami.

"You won't lose, Yugi," said Joey.

"Joey's right! You're going to beat this kid!" I added.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion. I've had just about enough of you, Olive! Say goodbye!" said Noah, pointing at the sky to cue the lightning.

But before it hit me, I felt myself fall and hit the ground, painfully. My head hit a rock and I winced, but glanced back just in time to see the lightning hit Joey.

"No! Joey!" Yami shouted.

"Not you too," said Tea, sadly. She looked like she was going to cry, but she turned and helped me off the ground. "I'm glad you're okay, at least," she said, hugging me. She buried her face in my neck and began to shake with the effort to hold back tears.

"Noah!" I screamed. "What is the matter with you!"

Tea lifted her head and yelled, "You think you're really tough, don't you?"

"Why, yes," said Noah, nonchalantly.

"Well I think you're just a spoiled brat who's got no guts. If things aren't going your way, you just keep changing the rules til they are," she said.

"Ha! Do you think I really care what _you_ think of me, Tea? I've already proven that there's no one out there better than me. Now it's up to Yugi to admit the same thing and I'll gladly reverse the damage that's been done," said Noah. "I am sorry that I hit Joey, however. That one was for you, Olive."

I flipped him off.

"Looks like I've got some disappointing news for you then. I still plan to win!" said Yami.

"What? Suit yourself then. I tried to make things easier for you, but you chose the hard way. I place a card face down in defense mode and I'll place another card face down. Now, since I can't lose, there's no harm in showing you the next card, Yugi. Get ready," said Noah. He held up his card. "When your turn starts, I'll use ground breaking to bring back one of my spirit monsters. My white rabbit. He possesses seven hundred attack points, which is more than enough to wipe you out." He placed the trap card. "Once he attacks you directly, you're finished and you can say goodbye to your cheerleader and that bitch, Olive. Now, make your final move, Yugi."

"You haven't won this yet, Noah," said Yami. Yami drew a card.

"I activate my trap! Go, ground breaking!" said Noah. "This brings my white rabbit right back to my hand."

"Not for long," said Yami. "I activate card destruction. You have to discard your entire hand, including your white rabbit, and draw four more cards. It all stops here. Magician of Black Chaos! Destroy his face down monster."

But unfortunately, it activated the special ability of one of Noah's cards. Dark magician was switched into defense mode so Yami couldn't attack again. Another trap card, vessel of illusion, was activated. It allowed Noah to summon a monster. He brought back a monster in defense mode. "Your turn's over, Yugi," said Noah. "So which of your friends is it going to be?"

Yami glanced down at us.

"Yugi's gonna crush you!" yelled Tea, startling me. "Then he'll set us all free, you got that?"

"Tea," said Yami, warningly.

Noah laughed and the lightening shot out of the sky again and struck Tea. She reached out towards Yami and choked out parting words. "Yugi! I still … believe…" she called before she was turned to stone.

"You are such a coward," I sneered.

"Keep talking, Olive," said Noah. "You're next. I'm just glad that you're going to be here to witness Yugi's defeat and see just how wrong you are. Speaking of your defeat, I activate the magic card change of heart. It allows me to control one of your monsters. Guess who is now mine?"

The dark magician disappeared from Yami's side of the field and reappeared on Noah's side.

"No! My dark magician!" Yami cried out.

"Now your favorite monster stands by my side," said Noah, sounding triumphant. "Next, I will sacrifice him along with my monster. This allows me to summon the most powerful spirit in all of duel monsters. Then I'll play the magic card flaming fists, which will give my beast two hundred extra attack points for one turn. The end if just about here. Attack! Destroy his magician of black chaos! Now!"

Noah's monster attacked and Yami was knocked over completely from the force of the attack.

I winced.

Noah smirked.

Seven hundred life points were added to Noah's total. He played a magic card called spirit energy settle machine. It allowed him to keep a spirit monster on the field after discarding one card from his hand.

Yami had only one hundred life points left.

"You may as well stay down, Yugi. It's all over," said Noah.

"Don't listen to him, Yami!" I yelled. "Get up!"

"Shut up, Olive!" Noah yelled.

Yami laid his head back and closed his eyes. He seemed so weak.

"If you could speak, Yugi, I'm sure you'd admit now that I'm the better duelist. You have no monsters in play, no cards in your hand and no friends to cheer you on," said Noah. "You're all alone now, Yugi. There's no one left to support you."

"That's not true!" I yelled and suddenly, I was standing in front of Yami. Yugi, little Yugi, appeared to be standing next to me.

"As long as we're here, you're not alone," said Yugi and we both held out our hands to help Yami stand up.

Suddenly we were somewhere else. We were in a room filled with walls and doorways and stairs going every direction. Somehow I knew I'd been here before. I was inside of Yami's mind.

"All you have to do is open your heart and your mind to know that your friends are never far," I heard myself say, but I sounded far away. It was almost like I wasn't speaking. Some other part of me that I didn't quite have access to was speaking with a knowledge that was lost to me.

"I don't see anyone," said Yami.

"Just look in here," I said. I took his hand and smiled at him. I walked over to a door and it opened without me touching it. It was empty, but we walked inside.

"I've never seen this room before, Olive," said Yami.

"It holds your recent memories," Yugi told him.

Joey, Tea, Tristan, Duke, and Serenity all appeared.

"I think I understand," said Yami, looking at me.

I nodded. "As long as our friends are in our thoughts, they'll never be too far away," I said.

He squeezed my hand and I knew that was his way of thanking me.

"Well put," said Joey, clapping Yami on the back. "We'll always be right here in your mind, man. No matter what."

"That's right," said Tea. "You may not remember your ancient past yet, but you still remember us." She looked at me. "The same goes for you, Olive."

"That's true," said Yami. "But I'm afraid I have nothing left to fight with."

"That's pathetic," came another voice from behind us that sent chills through my whole body. I wasn't positive if I liked that yet, or not. "Are you telling me my future's in the hands of a quitter?"

Yami and I turned to see Kaiba and Mokuba walking towards us.

"You can't let that little punk win this duel, Yugi," said Kaiba.

"I know," said Yami.

"Then get back in the game and face him like a man. Remember you have my cards too," said Kaiba. "With the power of my deck in your hands, you can't lose."

"There may still be a chance. The power to win _could_ lie in Kaiba's deck," Yami mused aloud.

"Don't mess up," Kaiba ordered. "You've only got one shot left." Kaiba turned his eyes to me. He reached out and touched my face. I didn't feel his touch but I still shivered a little. "Stay safe, Olive," he said, quietly.

Yami and I were suddenly out of Yami's mind and back in Noah's world. Yami's eyes opened and grabbed my hand. I was still a little unsure how I was standing in front of him and about what had happened, but I pulled him to his feet and then turned to look at Noah.

"I will save my friends," said Yami. "Just watch me."

"You just insist on humiliating yourself, don't you?" asked Noah. "And how the hell did you get up here, Olive? That's not a part of the game. You are breaking the rules and there are consequences for breaking the rules."

Lightning crackled in the sky, warningly, for a second before it shot down. I looked up as it hit me. Light flooded my eyes.


	52. Gozaboro's Revenge

Chapter Fifty-Two

For a second, I thought I was turning to stone. I swore I felt it happening. My body went numb and cold. My mind went blank. But then I wasn't numb, suddenly. My entire body was filled with searing, burning pain and thoughts, images, conversations, people, memories rushed through my mind all at once. It was like they all played right in front of my eyes. I suddenly remembered who I was and where I'd come from. I remembered why I was here, how I'd gotten here. I remembered meeting Yugi for the first time. Joey, Tea, Tristan, Serenity, Duke. I remembered Kaiba. I remember dating him and falling for him. I remembered feeling like my heart had been torn to pieces by him. I remembered who Marik was and why he was in my head. I remembered who Bakura was and I felt the fear and the heart ache that seemed to accompany my thoughts of him. I remembered everything, including everything that had happened since I had been trapped in Noah's virtual world.

I felt nauseous and like I might faint. I closed my eyes and sunk to my knees, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Are you okay?" asked Marik, inside of my head.

I didn't answer.

"Olive!" Yami was on his knees beside me. "You… you aren't stone. Olive! What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"What?" Noah gasped, both shocked and angry when he realized I wasn't a statue.

"Olive, thank the gods," said Yami. "Please tell me you're okay."

I took a deep breath and I looked at him. It was a strange sensation because two parts of my mind were fighting with each other. For some reason, there was a part of my mind that looked at Yami and tried to insist that he was a stranger. But the part of my mind that knew, the memories I'd gotten back, overpowered that. Still, it was strange.

"Did you forget again?" asked Yami, a sort of defeat in his voice.

I shook my head. "No," I said. "I remembered."

"What?" he asked.

"I remember everything," I said. "I don't know why I had no memories, but I remember everything now. I remember everyone."

Yami looked shocked and then he grinned and he threw his arms around me. "Oh, thank the gods!" he said again. "I can't believe you're back! I'm so glad you're back, Olive. I missed you! I need you here with me!"

I smiled and hugged him back.

"Why did I lose my memories?" I thought.

"I have a guess," Marik answered.

"And what's that?" I shot back. It was weird to have him in my head. I had gotten used to it when I'd had no memories and I was still used to it in a way. I knew I should be used to it, but it felt strange and invasive.

"You have lived a lot of lifetimes, Olive," said Marik. "When our minds were uploaded to this virtual world, I don't think the computer could handle all of the knowledge you have and all of the lifetimes you lived. So it wiped your memory."

"How do I have my memories back?" I thought.

"I have no idea. Somehow the lightning strike triggered them?" Marik answered.

Yami stood and this time he pulled me to my feet.

"I still have a duel to win," he said. "And I won't stop until you're defeated, Noah," said Yami. He drew a card. "Now, I play card of sanctity. We both have to draw from our decks until each of us have six cards in our hand." Yami drew his cards and took my hand again before he looked down at them.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw all of my friends frozen in stone. I felt guilt and I felt horror, but I swallowed them both and put on a brave voice. "The hearts of our friends are in those cards," I told him.

"I feel sorry for you," Yami told Noah. "Thanks to my friends, I'm about to defeat you and that's something you'll never understand. I play monster reborn! It can revive any monster you sent to the graveyard, including Kaiba's blue eyes white dragon."

"It can't be!" Noah gasped.

"Oh, yes it can. Remember, this duel began as you against Kaiba and you destroyed his blue eyes so I can bring it back," said Yami. "Now I activate this card! Polymerization! This allows me to fuse my blue eyes white dragon with the other two other blue eyes cards in my hand. Now, behold the power of my blue eyes ultimate dragon!"

I almost wanted to take a step back. The dragon looked and sounded so real. But then again, we were in a virtual world so here, it was as real as I was. I had never been quite this close to a duel and it was intimidating. There was a real life monster in front of me, close enough to touch.

"I'm afraid there's more," said Yami. "Next I'll activate my quick attack magic card. This will let my dragon attack right now. Your monster is finished."

"It's not over yet!" Noah shouted.

"You're wrong!" said Yami. "Thanks to the next magic card in my hand. De-fusion. It separates my beast back into three separate dragons."

"Wait! There must be something I can do!" Noah said, looking through his cards in desperation.

"What's the matter, Noah?" I asked, smirking a little.

"You've been exposed as the frightened child you truly are," said Yami. "For Kaiba and Mokuba, and for all of my other friends, blue eyes white dragons, attack! Wipe him out!" The three dragons attacked with a blinding white light and I had to shield my eyes. "This madness is finally over," I heard Yami say.

Noah screamed.

"That's impossible!" he cried. "I can't lose!"

"I'm afraid you just did. My friends are now free!" Yami said.

I looked behind us and watched the stone cracked and fall off. Joey, Serenity, Tristan, who was a monkey, and Duke were now back. I was so happy they were okay. They seemed like new people. In a strange way, it felt like I was meeting old friends, but also meeting these people for the first time, as my mind battled with itself.

"I'm back!" Tristan cheered. "Well. Almost."

Joey turned immediately and cried, "Serenity!"

"Joey!" she yelled. She raced forward into his arms.

"You're alright!" he said, relieved. He hugged her.

I watched Kaiba and Mokuba turn back to normal too. Mokuba raced forward into his brother's arms. "Seto!" Mokuba cried. "Is it over?"

"It looks to me like everything's back to normal around here," said Duke. "That must mean Yugi won the duel."

"What? What duel?" asked Kaiba.

"Your duel," said Tea. "Yugi took over when you and Mokuba were turned to stone. He combined your deck with his deck and he beat Noah."

"He dueled using _my_ cards?" Kaiba demanded.

"You've been defeated Noah," said Yami. "Not just by me, but by all of us. It was only with the support of my friends that I was able to win this duel." The floating rocks we were standing on began to sink down the ground and I grabbed Yami's arm. "The more you tried to destroy that friendship, the stronger it grew."

The stones hit the ground and Noah fell to his knees with a little sigh of defeat. He hung his head.

"This isn't how it was supposed to happen at all," he said, quietly.

Yami stepped off of our stone and walked forward to Noah. I stayed where I was and just watched.

"Listen to me, Noah. You've been all alone in this virtual world for six years and its distorted your mind," said Yami.

"My life was stolen," I heard Noah whisper. "It's not fair!" he suddenly cried out. Yami was standing right in front of him and Noah looked up at him. "I deserve to be the president of Kaiba Corp! And I would be if Seto hadn't robbed me of my life! I want it back and I'll start by escaping to the real world in your body!" He ran forward and grabbed Yami. There was a strange feeling in my stomach. I was suddenly right beside Yami. I tried to push him out of the way, but not before Noah had grabbed hold of him with one hand and me with the other.

Noah looked shocked.

"What's this?" he demanded, staring at us both in shock. "What are you? Who are you? Answer me! Your minds … they are filled with secrets."

All of Noah's thoughts and secrets ran through my mind as well. I wondered if Yami saw them too.

"What have you done?" Yami demanded.

"Let me in!" Noah cried out.

I stepped in front of Yami without thinking about it and shoved Noah's hand off of him. I felt a bubble of power suddenly force itself out from under my skin and force Noah backwards.

"What are you?" he demanded. "Both of you? You aren't like the others."

"Yugi!" I heard Tea yell from behind us. "Are you okay?"

"Try and touch me!" Joey threatened.

"Stop it, Joey!" said Serenity. "Violence isn't going to get us out of here."

"You've failed, Noah," said Yami, stepping up beside me again. "It's time to set us all free."

"And give me my body back," Tristan added.

"So, you want your body back?" asked Noah, in a very calm voice. He began to laugh. "Your real body is exactly where it's been since you arrived."

"What does that mean?" asked Duke.

"Enough with the games, Noah," said Tea.

"Don't you get it? There are no real bodies in my world. Everything here is virtual. That includes you too," said Noah. "Why do you think Olive has been so fucked up since she got here?"

"I don't get it," said Joey.

"I do," said Duke. "We're not just trapped in a virtual world. We're all a part of it too."

"Exactly," said Noah. "Your real bodies are strapped in cyber pods that are hardwired to my virtual simulator. Everything you've experienced here has only happened in your minds."

"What does that have to do with Olive?" asked Joey.

"So that's why… it seems so real here," said Tea, at the same time. "Our minds are being tricked into feeling things that aren't really there."

"Of course," said Kaiba. "When the floor opened up we didn't fall into a virtual vortex. We were knocked unconscious and locked in your cyber simulation pods."

The sky suddenly turned a deep shade of purple.

"Now what?" asked Joey.

"You have failed me for the last time, Noah!" a voice echoed through the air.

"That voice," said Kaiba, the slightest bit of panic in his voice. "It can't be."

"Father, no!" Noah cried, looking up. We all looked up with him. "Give me another chance!"

"Too late for that!" said the voice.

"What's going on?" asked Yami.

One cloud in particular seemed thicker. It seemed to twist and a face appeared in the cloud.

"Gozaboro!" Mokuba cried out.

"Wait! Not yet! Father, I need time," said Noah.

"More time? You've had more than enough time to prove yourself. It's time for me to finish things off now. That's why I digitized my own mind when Seto disgraced me by taking over my company. I wanted revenge. Now the time has come," said Gozaboro.

"So, you've been behind this the whole time," Kaiba sneered. He sounded less than pleased to see his step-father.

"Yes he has," said Noah, with admiration in his voice. "And you're going to give Kaiba Corp to me, right father?"

"You had your chance, Noah," said Gozaboro. "You failed, son."

"Look you had your chance too!" Kaiba said. "And guess what? You also failed. You lost Kaiba Corp to someone more fit for the job."

"You?" Gozaboro sneered. "I taught you everything you know, you fool. You thought you could outsmart me? It's about time you learned the truth about why I adopted you. After you beat me at chess, I thought you'd be the perfect person to motivate my real son, who was quite a slacker."

"So you just used him?" Tea cried out, disgusted. "That's fucked up!"

"How mean," said Serenity, sounding heartbroken.

"Noah needed to work more on his studies. I thought Seto could give him the push he needed to someday take over Kaiba Corp. But then Noah had his accident and his body was rendered useless," Gozaboro said. "I tried to preserve his mind in cyber space, but I soon realized that he was still the same spoiled brat he'd always been. He wasn't worthy of inheriting my company. That's when I turned my attention to you, Seto. I thought maybe you could be the heir to my fortune so I pushed you to your limits."

"You gave up on your own son!" Noah cried out, sounding heart broken. "You trapped me all alone here in cyber space."

"Poor guy," I heard Mokuba whisper and I looked at him. He was watching Noah with pity in his eyes.

"Not at first. Initially I thought I could still use Seto to help you," said Gozaboro.

"Use me?" Kaiba demanded. "And what was it you planned to do with me, Gozaboro? Force me to play chess against your virtual son to increase his intellect?"

"No, not quite, Seto" said Gozaboro.

"Then what?" asked Kaiba.

"I had something much more interesting planned," he said.

"Enough! Will you just say what you want to say already?" asked Kaiba.

"Very well. Even if Noah could learn how to run a multi billion dollar corporation, he'd still lack one major thing - a body," said Gozaboro. "That's where you came in, Seto."

"That's sick!" Tea exclaimed. "You were going to transfer Noah's mind to Kaiba?"

"Relax. That plan only lasted a short time. Noah's mind? Ha. Why would I give you Noah's mind when yours was perfectly fine?" asked Gozaboro. "So I focused on training you so you could inherit my empire. Then you stole it. So using the same technology I used on Noah, I retreated to cyber space to plot my revenge. I planned to take over your body myself."

"So you used me to trap them here?" asked Noah.

"That's the only thing you did right," Gozaboro sneered. "But I'll take it from here. The fun and games are over."

"You snake," said Kaiba.

"I can't believe that _you_ have the nerve to call _me_ a snake," said Gozaboro. "I was the most powerful human being on the entire planet before you came along and stole that away from me, Seto. Don't you realize that I treated you even better than I treated my own son?"

"Thanks," said Kaiba. "For nothing. And I'll make sure you never regain your power."

"You're too late," said Gozaboro. A picture appeared in the sky.

"What is that?" Yami asked.

"Just look. It's part of my new and even better plan. This is one of the many satellites Kaiba Corp put into orbit when I was still in charge," said Gozaboro.

"And what are you gonna do with that?" asked Joey.

Gozaboro laughed. "These satellites can beam signals to every computer on earth and connect them back to my underwater super computer. No one on earth can escape me. I will have access to every home no the planet."

"Please," said Noah, rolling his eyes. "That has to be the most ridiculous plan I've ever heard."

"I'm surprised you feel that way, Noah. After all, that idea came from you," said Gozaboro. Don't you remember?"

"No," said Noah.

"And so, Seto, as you can see I'm no longer interested in stealing your body and taking over Kaiba Corp. I've set my sights on bigger things," he said.

"Lunatic," Kaiba muttered.

"You can believe whatever you want to believe about me, Seto," said Gozaboro. "Once my plan works, I'll be the most powerful man on the planet, once again, and no one on earth will be able to stop me this time. Seto, Noah, this is about so much more than acquiring one company. Once this works, everyone on earth will become virtual. I am going to digitize the entire world and I will reign as the cyber ruler of a new planet earth." He laughed.

His face disappeared and the purple clouds in the sky retreated.

"Get back here!" Kaiba yelled.

But he was gone.

"My father's gone for now," said Noah. "But you have to escape quickly and I know the way out, so follow me."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Joey.

"We don't exactly have a choice," Tea pointed out.

So when Noah started walking, we followed. He moved a rock that appeared solid and we began to walk through a tunnel that went straight into the mountain. We walked mostly in silence until we came to what looked like a huge computer.

"There is it!" said Noah. He ran forward. "A possible exit!" He reached it and sighed. "Never mind," he said. "This is one of several remote networks set up by my father. It can give us access to all the programs and emergency exits, but it seems that my father has locked them and closed off every exit to stop us from escaping. When he showed up after six years, he promised to help me. But I guess he was lying. My father was using me."

"Noah, are you okay?" asked Mokuba.

"Are you sure there are no other exits around here?" asked Joey.

"Yea, maybe there's a way out you're not thinking of," Tea suggested.

"I've had enough of this! I want to wake up in my own body," said Tristan.

"We've got to stop Gozaboro from digitizing the world," said Joey.

"We can't do that from in here," said Tea.

Noah laughed a little. "Very perceptive," he said.

I frowned. Something didn't feel right.

"Every virtual reality program has more than one emergency exit system," said Kaiba. "So why don't you try thinking harder, Noah?"

"What's wrong, Seto?" asked Noah. "Don't you wanna stay away? We won't be alone in this virtual world for very much longer." Noah laughed and turned to face us. "My father said he's bringing the whole world in here. That means I'll never have to be alone again. We'll be one big happy family."

"You're demented," said Yami.

"Noah, stop!" said Mokuba, running forward and shaking Noah's shoulders. "We have to stop this. You're in danger too."

"You're right, Moki," said Noah, a see through image of a young Seto appearing in front of Noah's face.

Mokuba gasped and let go of him. He shook his head.

"Calm down, Mokuba. It's me," said Noah.

"I can see that, Noah," said Mokuba, turning away.

"Wait a second," said Noah. "Something has just occurred to me. There is one more escape route here."

"Where is it?" asked Joey.

"Tell me," Kaiba demanded.

"It's a doorway that I created and it leads directly to the real world. I'm quite sure my father has no idea it exists. You can escape and warn the world of his plan," said Noah.

"Then what are we waiting around here for?" asked Joey. "Let's go."

"Very well," said Noah, walking through all of us and back down the tunnel. "Follow me."

"Yami," I said, quietly, grabbing his arm. "Are you sure we should be trusting this kid? He did just try to turn us all to stone."

"I don't think we really have a choice," said Yami. "Why? You don't think we should."

I shook my head. "No," I said. "Something just doesn't feel right."

"Are you sure it's not some weird after effect from losing your memory?" asked Yami.

I shrugged. "It's possible, but I don't think so," I said.

"Well, keep an eye out," said Yami.

I nodded and we followed Noah.


	53. A Quick Talk with Seto

Chapter Fifty-Three

I stood there for a second and watched them walk away. I thought about not following them. I thought about going off on my own and trying to find my way out on my own.

"It would be pretty convenient to have no memories right now, huh?" asked a voice behind me.

I jumped and turned. Kaiba was standing behind me.

I turned back to watch the others again.

"I thought everyone had already left," I said.

"No, I waited here. I heard what you said about not trusting Noah," he said. "I don't either."

"Good," I said. "It would be stupid to trust him."

"Let's go," said Kaiba.

I looked at him. "What makes you think I'm going with everyone?" I asked.

"Because I'm not giving you a choice," he said.

"You don't control me," I said.

"You're right. But I'm stronger than you and I will pick you up and carry you out of here if I have to," he said.

I narrowed my eyes and we stared at each other in silence for a second.

He took a quick step towards me.

"Fine," I said. I started walking.

He chuckled and started after me.

"How did you know I had my memory back?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Just the way you're acting around everyone seems different," he said. "I can't explain it, but I dated you for quite a while, Olive. I like to think I know you pretty well."

"I don't even know me pretty well," I said.

"Good thing I'm here then," he said.

"Yea, thank the gods for Seto Kaiba," I said, sarcastically.

"I might have liked the Olive with no memory a little better," he commented.

"Why is that?" I asked. "Because she had no memory of what a jerk you could be?"

"Something like that," he said.

We walked in silence for a little while. I looked at him, but he was already looking at me so I looked away quickly.

"Do you remember anything that's happened here?" he asked me.

"Sure," I said, nodding. "I remember everything. It just is sort of strange."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I thought about it for a second and then said, "It's strange because when I look at you, I remember how I met you. I recall all of our memories, including everything that happened here. But there's a part of me that still feels like those memories are missing. It still seems like I don't know you, or anyone, at all and like you're all complete strangers. It's just really weird."

"How can you know me and still feel like I'm a stranger?" he asked.

"That's just how it is," I said. "I didn't say it makes sense."

"There is so little about you that does make sense," he commented.

I rolled my eyes and stopped talking.

"So you remember meeting up with us in the woods?" Kaiba asked me.

I nodded.

"And you remember taking my hand? You remember me telling you that it might be nice if you didn't get your memories back?" he asked me.

"Yes," I said. "And I remember not knowing if you were serious or joking."

He smiled a little bit. "You remember walking through that door in the forest?" he asked.

"Yes, and I remember being pretty freaked out when you almost hit me," I said.

"I wasn't going to hit you," he protested. "I wouldn't hit you, Olive."

"You hit me once before," I said. I stopped walking and faced him. "When we were at Duelist Kingdom."

"That was an accident," said Kaiba. "And I still feel really horrible for that. You tried to save Mokuba," he reached out and ran his thumb over the scar I had on my face from Duelist Kingdom, "and I repaid you by hitting you. I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "It's in the past," I said.

"You remember going from the beach to the desert?" he asked me.

I nodded.

"And you remember sleeping in the desert?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"You said that if you ever got your memories back you would want to talk about what happened between us," he said.

I was silent. "That was before I got my memories back," I said, after a minute.

"So now you don't?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said. "What is there to talk about?"

"Why did you leave without telling me last summer?" he asked.

"Was I supposed to tell you?" I asked.

"No, I guess not," he said.

"So why do you care?" I asked.

"Because I missed you, Olive," he said. "After Duelist Kingdom…" he paused, frustrated and ran his fingers through his hair. "I thought things were getting better between us. Or at least I thought they would or I hoped they would. I don't know what I thought, Olive, but I thought things were getting better." He stared at me for a second. "I miss you, Olive."

I stared at him, feeling sad and confused. I wanted to say something reassuring. I wanted to say the right thing, but I didn't know what to say and so I didn't say anything at all.

"Do you remember what happened in the desert?" he asked.

I pursed my lips and thought about lying. "I remember kissing," I said. "I remember…thinking that things would go further. I remember stopping because we didn't know if I would remember or not. I remember falling asleep with you."

"Does any part of you still have any sort of feeling for me at all?" he asked.

"I have feelings for other people too," I said.

"Too?" he asked.

I nodded, slowly.

"So you do have feelings for me?" he asked.

Again, I hesitated. But then I nodded.

He smiled only slightly, and then turned his head. He smiled again.

"Come on," he said. "We need to catch up."

"Okay," I said.


	54. Shortcuts and Portals

Chapter Fifty-Four

We caught up to the others pretty quickly. Yami was walking behind everyone. Kaiba and I fell in step beside him.

"I was beginning to wonder when the two of you would catch up," Yami commented.

"You noticed we were gone?" I asked.

"Of course," he said. "I just figured you two needed to talk." He glanced over at us. "Kaiba, something's not right," he said. "I think Noah's lying to us. He's not to be trusted."

"Olive already ran that thought by me. She beat you to it," said Kaiba. "Anyway, tell me something I don't already know."

"If you're so sure this is a trick, then why are you following him?" asked Yami.

"Well I considered not following him, but I was always taught to keep my enemies close by," said Kaiba.

We exited the tunnel.

I looked at Yami and I could tell he was thinking.

"Stop," I said.

Yami looked at me. "Stop what, Olive?" he asked.

"Stop over thinking this," I said. "And whatever Yugi is saying to you inside your head about how Noah might be a decent person, stop listening to him."

Yami stared at me, a little stunned. "How do you…" he began.

"Let's just say I've grown accustomed to have a voice in my head that's somewhat hard to ignore," I said. "Plus, I know how Yugi is. He always wants to see the good in everyone. Sometimes, Yugi, you need to remember that there are no redeemable qualities in a person."

"Yugi says his dad betrayed him again so he probably wants to stop Gozaboro as much as we do," said Yami.

"Probably, but that doesn't mean he wants to help us," I said.

Yami fell silent, probably listening to Yugi, and then I saw a light from his millennium puzzle - a light that only I ever saw - and Yugi was standing in front of me. I folded my arms and raised and eyebrow.

"No, Yugi," I said.

"What?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. We cannot trust Noah," I said.

"We're all on the same team now, Olive," said Yugi.

"No. No we are not," I responded.

"Be positive," Yugi said.

"No thank you," I said.

Kaiba chuckled. "Come on," he said.

We were walking for a while through what looked like a canyon when Noah said, "There it is." He stopped walking.

We all stopped behind him.

In front of us was a brick wall with a large wooden door. It almost looked like a castle wall.

"Your freedom lies beyond that door," said Noah. "Once you walk through, you'll wake up in the real world."

"I don't know about this, guys," said Tea.

I frowned uneasily. The doors opened and a blinding light filled everyone's eyes.

"The real world is just beyond these doors," said Noah.

Suddenly, I was standing next to Yami. I was dressed suddenly in black jeans and a purple top. In front of us was the mime and Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"You're finished, Marik!" Yami shouted.

"Not as long as I have Slifer the Sky Dragon in my deck! Now, Slifer, attack!" said the mime in Marik's voice. Marik's voice echoed in my head as well.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked.

"Your attacks are useless. It's over for you," said Marik, in my head and through the mime.

Yami sunk to his knees. "I can't let Marik win my puzzle," he said.

"Didn't this happen already?" Marik asked in my head.

"I repeat, what the hell is going on?" I asked.

We were dueling on a river walkway. Next to us were the stairs leading up to the road. I looked up and saw Kaiba standing there.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Thank the gods I'm not the only one who knows this is weird," I said.

There was a buzzing sound and everything, once again, looked like pixels.

Suddenly, we were all standing together again in the center of what looked like an abandoned town.

"Can anyone else tell me what's going on?" asked Tristan.

Joey was holding his head like he had a headache.

"I don't know," said Duke.

"I think I do," said Yugi. "Noah must have tricked us."

"Let's find that punk right now," said Joey. "Where is he anyway?"

We all looked around.

"Hey, Kaiba's gone too," said Tea.

I frowned.

"So is Mokuba," I said. "Fuck."

"Well, if you're offering," said Duke.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, my gosh," I said.

"Of course _you'd_ make a joke like that at a time like this," said Joey.

"Let's focus, you guys," said Tea. "You can flirt later."

"That little shit double-crossed us again! I knew we shouldn't trust him," said Joey, angrily. "I'm gonna beat his ass."

"Wait, Joey," said Yugi. "We need to come up with a plan that makes sense."

"Yea, well I already came up with a plan. We beat Noah until he tells us the way out," said Joey.

"I think I agree with Joey on this one," said Duke. "Only Joey knows where the exit is."

"And we're running out of time. Pretty soon, the whole world will be trapped," said Tea.

Yugi frowned and I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"This isn't your fault, Yugi," I thought at him.

"Of course it is," thought Yugi. "This is completely my fault."

"Not true," I heard Yami tell him. "You believe there's still good inside of Noah and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Well, no one else does," Yugi thought.

"Give them time," Yami thought.

"After everything he's done, it's hard to believe he can change," I thought. "Don't beat yourself up about this, Yugi. Noah's rage is fueled by an anger deep inside."

"Olive is right," Yami agreed. "But we can help him see the light."

"I hope so. And soon," thought Yugi.

"Alright," Yugi said aloud, at the same time that I opened my eyes again. "Let's go find Noah and figure out how to get out of here so we can stop Gozaboro's plan." He caught my eye and smiled appreciatively.

I smiled back.

"But how?" asked Tea.

"Once we're free from cyber space, we can warn people in the real world that Gozaboro is planning to digitize the planet," I said.

Tristan started to say something, but it all came out as monkey noises.

Duke gave him a weird look. "Tristan, I didn't understand a word you just said," he told him. "You're almost all chimp now."

We heard a weird laugh echo through the air. We turned and there were a whole bunch of monsters behind us. We watched and monsters began to appear all around us.

"Where are all these monsters coming from?" asked Tea.

"We've got to do something!" Joey exclaimed.

"Last I checked, running away is something," Duke suggested.

"Oh wow, what a big, strong man you are," I said, sarcastically.

"Oh, honey, I'll show you what a big strong man I am," he said.

"Hey, Mister Devlin? I have my memories back," I said.

"Is that so?" he asked. He smirked. "And do you feel the same way about me now that you have all your memories back as you have while we've been stuck here?"

I smiled. "I told you already. That's a secret," I said.

"Serenity!" Joey cried, jumping in front of her to protect her from one of the monsters that was attacking.

"Joey, no!" Yugi cried. He drew a card from his deck and said, "Come forth, curse of dragon!" His dragon was summoned and he used it to attack.

I barely got out of the way, stumbled, and knocked Duke over.

"Alright, Yugi!" said Joey. "My turn now. I choose my axe raider!"

Joey's monster was summoned to fight as well.

Awkwardly, I pushed myself up off the ground. Duke was laying underneath me, just grinning.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's fine, Olive. I love having you on top," he said.

I felt my face grow hot. "You are such a skeeze," I said.

"Maybe a little bit, but you like it," he teased.

I got to my feet and brushed myself off. Why did Duke make me blush? I wondered. He was so different from any of the other guys I had feelings for. And speaking of that, why did I have to have feelings for more than one guy? And such different guys? It was so confusing. Furthermore, why was I worrying about any of this when I needed to focus on getting out of this place and back to the real world?

Marik chuckled inside of my mind. "Your thoughts are just so interesting,," he said.

I blushed even more. "Stop reading my mind," I ordered him.

"First of all, I can't. I'm a part of your mind," he thought. "Second of all, I don't respond to orders well. You forget, I'm still a pretty powerful enemy, love. Do you really want to be giving me orders?"

"I'm a pretty powerful enemy as well, Marik," I responded.

One of the monsters attacked and destroyed Yugi's dragon.

"You guys, I'm with Duke. I think we should run. We can't keep this up for much longer," said Tea.

"I agree," said Yugi. "We'll fight as much as we can, but there's only so much we can do."

"Let's go!" said Joey.

He and Serenity took off. Serenity clutched Tristan-monkey to her chest. It would have been an understatement to say Tristan-monkey was quite content where he was. Tea and Yugi followed. Duke grabbed my hand and we took off after them.

We crouched down beside a car for a minute, breathless. After a minute, Joey and Yugi stood up to go check for any monsters.

"What if we don't make it out of here?" I whispered.

"Don't say that," said Tea.

"Everyone's thinking it," I replied.

"Guys, the coast is clear," said Joey.

We ran down the street and ducked into an alleyway.

"Are those monsters coming back?" asked Serenity, the fear very evident on her face.

"Don't worry, Serenity. I think we're safe here," said Duke, reassuringly. There were heavy footsteps and we looked up to see one of the monsters. "Or…maybe not."

"Run!" yelled Joey.

Duke tried to pull me along, but I pulled my hand away.

"Get down, you two," I told Joey and Yugi. They ducked and I drew some symbols in the air with my hands and then made a movement like I was pushing them. Out of midair, a pale purple light crackling with electricity shot out of my palms and slammed into the monsters. It knocked them backwards and unconscious, leaving bleeding cuts and bruises all over their bodies.

"How did you do that?" asked Joey.

"I have no idea," I said, looking at my palms, which were hot. "But now I don't have to play duel monsters. Apparently I can attack all on my own. But they're knocked out, so I suggest we follow the others."

We rounded another corner and ran into some more monsters. Yugi had a card out before I could do anything and attacked. Joey added his monster to the attack and I grinned. This was exhilarating. A part of me wished I had my own set of cards or knew more magic tricks. The energy that was running through my body had my adrenaline pumping.

"Let's fry this creep, Yugi," said Joey.

But before any of us could attack, a voice sounded through the virtual world.

"Attention! Can all of you hear me? This is extremely important!"

"I know that voice," said Duke.

"Noah," said Yugi.

"Alright, get down here and show your face," said Joey.

"This is a warning to all of you. Look, the virtual world that you're all in is about to be destroyed," Noah said.

"What? I knew we couldn't trust him, but I never thought he'd destroy this place," said Duke.

"That piece of shit," Joey growled. "I still owe him an ass-kicking."

"You'd better let us out of here, Noah!" Tea yelled.

"I'm so sorry for the way I treated you all," said Noah. "But now a satellite is set to destroy the main computer system. When that computer shuts down, the virtual world will collapse. You must escape or your minds will be lost forever! Listen to me! I can help. The only exit is in the Domino Arcade. You have to hurry up."

"Can we…trust him?" asked Tea.

"Well, Joey?" asked Serenity.

"Trust Noah? Forget about it," said Joey.

"Do we have a choice?" asked Tristan.

We all stood in silence for a second and then I said, "I'm going."

"You are?" asked Yugi.

I nodded. "You wanted me to believe Noah had a good side to him. Well this is me believing," I said.

"Olive's right," said Yugi. "We have nothing to lose."

"Let's go," said Tea.

"Yea," said Duke.

"Alright, but I'm warning you. You better not pull any of your dirty tricks, Noah," said Joey.

We took off running. It seemed like we were always running.

"The Domino Arcade is only two blocks away and the exit should be inside," said Joey.

"Oh no! Behind us!" Yugi exclaimed. I looked back to see monsters. "There's no way we'll outrun Gozaboro's monsters."

Joey stopped. "Alright, then you guys go and we'll stay and fight," he said.

"No way. I'm not going to go without you," said Serenity.

"Just go, sis! Tea, go with my sister and help her find that exit," said Joey.

"Let's get going," said Tea. "We'll meet them there."

"Please be careful," said Serenity.

"Don't worry. This won't take too long," said Joey.

"Yea, we'll smash them!" said Tristan-monkey, but Serenity picked up Tristan.

"You're better off with us, Tristan," said Tea.

The boys looked at me. "You staying with us or going with them?" asked Yugi.

"I'm staying," I said.

Yugi nodded and smiled. "Do your thing, Olive," he said.

I nodded and smiled as well. My hands moved so quickly, signing and drawing symbols in the air. I had no idea how I knew these movements. They didn't spell any words to me, they didn't make any sense to me. It was like they were just something I knew. A memory. They lit up in the air and I spun and hit them with the heel of my hand. Power erupted from my arm, starting at the shoulder and shooting forward to mix with the symbols. The force shot at the monsters and they were all left either stunned or dead.

"Let's go," I said.

"What the hell was that?" asked Duke.

I shrugged. "I've got a few secrets," I said.

Marik laughed.

We were inside the arcade within a couple of minutes, but the monsters that had lived had regained their composure and were catching up. Soon they had surrounded the arcade and a few were trying to force their way in.

"Go, Dark Magician!" Yugi yelled.

The Dark Magician attacked.

"Nice shot, Yugi! Now let's get out of this place," said Joey.

"Proceed to the stage immediately," said Noah.

"Joey, you and Duke and Olive go first. I'll be right there," said Yugi.

"Alright," said Joey, "but you'd better be right behind me."

Duke and Joey ran to the stage.

I stopped at the bottom of the steps and turned to look at Yugi.

He used his dark magician to attack again.

Joey ran up the steps of the stage with Duke. "Come on!" Joey yelled at both of us. "Let's go!"

"Olive, come on," said Duke.

I shook my head. "I'm not leaving til Yugi leaves," I said.

"Olive, stop! Just come on," Duke pleaded.

"No!" I said.

He ran back down a couple of steps and grabbed my wrist.

"You just saw me send and explosion at some monsters. Do you really want to force me up those steps?" I asked him.

He paused and then leaned forward and kissed me. It was a deep, passionate kiss, the kind that you felt like you were falling into. When he broke away and ran back up the stage steps, I was stunned.

"What..?" I asked. I couldn't seem to manage anymore words.

He grinned. "I'm going back to the real world," he said. "If something happens to you I would hate to never have kissed you."

I touched my lips.

"Besides, now you have more incentive to make sure you get your ass back home," said Duke.

"Yea, and what's the incentive?" I asked.

"You are obviously going to want more of this," said Duke, motioning to himself before he disappeared.

"Hurry!" Joey yelled before he disappeared as well.

"Yugi, wait. I have a favor to ask," said Noah.

"What is it?" asked Yugi, stopping at the bottom of the steps with me.

"Mokuba is still stuck there in the virtual world," said Noah. "And Seto is stuck in a duel with Gozaboro."

"Where?" I asked, panicked.

"I'll use the central computer to create a virtual shortcut so you can reach him," said Noah. "He's in Kaiba Corp headquarters.

"Of course," said Yugi. "Olive, you should go."

I shook my head. "I said I wasn't leaving you. I'm not leaving Kaiba either," I insisted.

A door appeared out of nowhere.

"Go through that door and you'll find Seto," said Noah.

"Okay," said Yugi. "I won't come back without him."

He took my hand and we opened the door.

When we stepped through the door, we were in front of Kaiba Corp headquarters. We ran up the stairs as fast as we could without hesitation. Once inside, we got into an elevator. It felt like it went excruciatingly slowly.

The elevator opened and we were standing at the foot of a dueling platform. Some giant red smoky looking monster was headed straight towards Kaiba.

"What about our agreement?" Kaiba asked.

"The deal's off!" said the monster, in Gozaboro's voice.

I shot some kind of energy out of my hand again and it struck the monster in the chest.

Kaiba turned to look at us.

"Jump, Kaiba!" Yugi yelled.

He jumped and we all took off running.

"We've got to hurry," Yugi told him. "This whole place is going to shut down any second."

We ran outside, the only way we could go to get away from the monster, but stopped at the edge of the roof.

"Shit! It's a dead end," said Yugi.

"I've never heard you cuss before," I commented.

Behind us, Gozaboro laughed.

"Jump now!" Noah yelled.

"Forget it!" said Kaiba.

"We have to trust him," said Yugi. "Come on."

He jumped and I shoved Kaiba. Kaiba grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him. Kaiba wrapped his arms around me protectively, even though we had just jumped off of a skyscraper and the three of us fell towards the street.

In midair, in front of us, a circle of blue light appeared.

"Look! Noah opened another exit!" Yugi exclaimed.

We all fell straight into the center of it.


	55. Back to Reality

Chapter Fifty-Five

When I opened my eyes, I was laying down in a pod-shaped device. It wasn't really comfortable or uncomfortable and the lid was glass. I blinked my eyes and just laid there for a second. My head hurt, but the pain somehow seemed far away. Everything felt quiet and I realized that everything in the virtual world had had a faint humming noise. The real world didn't. The lid opened and I sat up. I looked to my right and saw Yugi and Kaiba sitting up as well.

"It's about time," said Kaiba.

"We're back in the real world," said Yugi.

They both looked at me.

"Are you okay?" asked Yugi.

I nodded.

Kaiba looked to his right where Mokuba was still laying in his own pod.

"Mokuba!" he cried. "He's still back there."

I was out of my pod in an instant. I was grateful that my clothes and hair weren't nearly as dirty as they had looked in the virtual world. Although, I realized, self consciously, that my shorts were still just as short and my tank top was still a little bit too tight. I walked over to Mokuba's pod. Kaiba had opened the lid. He and Yugi were leaning over it. I went to the opposite side and leaned over as well.

"Mokuba! Mokuba, wake up! Open your eyes!" Kaiba said. I could hear the desperation in his voice.

Mokuba opened his eyes.

I breathed a sign of relief.

"Mokuba," said Kaiba, sounding just as relieved.

"Seto, Noah's still inside!" said Mokuba.

"We don't have time, Mokuba," said Kaiba. "We have to get out of here."

We helped him out of the pod and we all took off running.

"ALERT. ALERT. Central computer network will destruct," said the electronic voice over the intercom. "Evacuate immediately."

"Why did Noah have to go back to that place, guys?" asked Mokuba. "It's not fair."

None of us were sure how to answer. We just kept running.

We made it to the roof in time to see the aircraft start to rise into the air.

"WARNING. Missile approaching. Kaiba craft three preparing for take off.

"Pick up the pace you guys! You're almost here," yelled Joey. He, Tristan, and Duke were standing on the bottom steps, holding out their hands to us. "We got you guys! Come on!"

"Let's go! Hurry!" called Duke.

"I'm not gonna make it!" Mokuba gasped, breathlessly.

"Guess again," said Kaiba. He grabbed Mokuba by the back of the shirt and threw him towards the steps. "Catch," he said as Mokuba went crashing into Duke. Kaiba himself jumped and landed on the steps. It took him only a second to balance himself. He grabbed a hold of something, turned. He reached out, grabbed my hand, and lifted me off the ground. Kaiba pulled me onto the steps quickly and I crashed into him. I think I would have knocked him over if he hadn't been prepared. He just wrapped his arms around me again, the way he had when we'd jumped off of the building, and I let out a slow breath. My heart was racing and I realized that I was shaking. Joey grabbed Yugi's hand just as we really launched into the air and Joey pulled him onto the steps.

Everyone ran up the steps together. Kaiba practically threw me into the hallway and the boys pulled the stairs shut. The missile hit and the force of the explosion shook the blimp. We all slid around the floor trying to maintain some kind of balance.

Instead of sticking around, Kaiba headed straight for the control room.

I just stayed on the floor. I was on my knees with my hands over my ears and my head almost on the floor. I stayed there with my eyes shut tight even after the blimp stopped shaking.

"Olive," I heard Yugi say gently. He touched my back.

I finally let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. I opened my eyes and looked up.

"It's okay," said Yugi. "We're safe."

I nodded and sighed. I was still shaking a little bit.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I think so," I whispered.

"Are your … memories back?"

I paused and then said, "Yes, but everything still seems really strange."

He held out his hand and helped me up. We all walked out to the front of the blimp where we could look out of the large windows. Kaiba was already there, staring at the place where the missile had hit only moments before with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. We all joined him.

"Noah may have been a spoiled brat when we met him, but he turned out to be alright," said Joey.

"Do you think his mind was deleted when the computer was destroyed?" asked Tea.

"Knowing him? He probably saved his mind on a back up file," said Yugi.

"I bet he'll be back," I said.

"Me too," said Mokuba.

For a second, we just watched the smoked in silence.

"Alright," said Kaiba, his voice hard. "That little detour was a complete waste of my time and effort. So let's move on and pretend this never happened. It's time for us to continue the Battle City Finals. Set us back on course to Kaiba Corp Island."

"Yes, sir," answered one of the men flying the blimp.

"I want to talk to you, Olive," said Kaiba.

"And on that note, I need to go shower and change," I said, turning to leave.

He followed me.

"I really do need to shower and change," I said, once we reached my room. I opened the door and walked inside.

Again, he followed.

"I assumed it was an invitation," he teased, going over to the little mini kitchen area and pouring himself a drink.

I watched him in disbelief. He poured himself a drink, scotch I think, and then walked over to the little couch and sat down.

"Are you joking?" I asked. "I need to shower."

"And I want a drink," he said.

"This is my room," I complained.

"This is my blimp," he said, smirking. He took a sip of his drink, watching me the whole time with a smug look on his face. "You want a drink?" he asked.

"No!" I exclaimed.

"You could use one," he commented.

"And why is that?" I demanded.

"You obviously need to loosen up," he said.

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

He grinned. "Very much, actually," he said.

I flipped him off. He chuckled and I walked over to the refrigerator. I opened the door and stared inside at nothing for a minute. But I wasn't actually hungry. I was just hoping to waste enough time that Kaiba would get bored and leave.

After a few minutes, I slammed the fridge shut and stalked back over to stand in front of him.

"You're really not going to leave?" I demanded.

"Not unless leaving involves getting in the shower with you," he said.

I rolled my eyes and felt my face get hot. "I don't think so, Mister Kaiba," I said.

"Come on," he said. "We've dated. What's the big deal?"

"Um, we aren't dating now," I said.

"We could be," he said.

I laughed. "How about, no," I said.

"And why not?" he asked, standing up. He walked in the kitchen to put his glass in the sink.

"I already told you," I said, following him. I lifted myself up to sit on the counter next to the sink and watched him. He moved to stand in front of me. "Losing my memories made things weird. Even though I know you, you still seem like a stranger."

He put both his hands on the counter, on either side of me. "Let's get to know each other then," he said.

"Stop it," I told him.

He kissed my cheek and straightened back up.

"Fine, Reynolds. I'll see you later," he said. He walked over to the door and turned to give me one last smirk before he left my room.

I jumped off the counter, ran to the door, and locked it before he decided to come back inside. Not that I didn't enjoy his company, but I didn't want to get out of the shower to find him in my room again.

The shower was amazing. It was warm, the perfect temperature really, and the sound of the water was comforting. After the background noise and humming of the virtual world, it just seemed way too quiet here. As the water poured over my head and down my body I felt myself relax. The sound of the water seemed to drown out my thoughts.

What was I supposed to do now that I was back here in the real world? I knew I didn't play duel monsters, but why was I here? Unfortunately, gaining my memories back hadn't given me anymore clues as to who I was or why I was supposed to be here helping Yami.

"You have to stop the evil spirit that has taken over my body," Marik thought at me.

Again, I jumped a little.

"Did I startle you?" he asked, sounding smug.

"It's still so strange that you are in my head," I whispered.

"I'm not just in your head, sweetheart. We're sharing a body. We're sharing a mind," he thought. "I'm learning a lot about you, actually. Repressed memories, past lives and all that. It's really interesting. I'm learning things you don't even know you know."

"Like what?" I asked.

"We'll chat about that later," he thought. "I need my body back and I need to make sure I talk to my sister before anything. She has more records on you and Yami than anyone I know. She'll be able to help me figure out what is real."

"Fine, whatever," I said. "You're not help. What good is sharing a mind is you aren't even going to tell me what's in my mind?"

"I can control your body too," he thought.

"Great," I said. "Just what I need."

He laughed. "If only I could figure out a way to do that in the real world," he thought. "Oh, right. I can if I have my Millennium Rod."

"You can try," I said. "But I'm amazing, remember? Millennium items don't really work on me."

"We'll see," he said.

I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. I grabbed one of the large, fluffy white towels and wrapped it around me before leaning over to wipe the moisture off of the mirror. For a few minutes, I just stared at my face. I could see the reflection of Marik in my eyes, but it didn't freak me out nearly as much as it had before.

"My thoughts were already so messed up," I whispered. "Why did this have to happen too? Why did that virtual world screw me up so badly?"

"It's because you have too many memories, too many lifetimes," Marik replied. "I think I already explained this to you. Each pod was created to upload one lifetime of memories to the virtual world. Just one person. But you have so many lifetimes and so many memories that the computer just couldn't handle it. It responded by wiping away all your memories."

"And how did I get my memories back?" I asked.

"I assume when you were shocked by lightning the jolt was enough to make you remember," Marik thought. "But I'm not positive."

"So why are things still weird now, then?" I asked. "How come when I look at Kaiba I remember everything? His face, his voice, his mannerisms. The way he was with me. The way we were together. But at the same time, he seems like a stranger? Those memories seem like they belong to a different person. They feel like I watched them happen in a movie, but I didn't experience them. Everything feels weird and disconnected."

Marik was silent for a moment and then he said, "Those memories will come back, Olive. Things will make sense again. They'll fall into place again, but it's going to take time. Your mind … it's like a maze, Olive. I told you that once before too. It's like a maze, but it stores everything. And your memories, your power, who you are is all there. It just is going to take a minute to sort through everything."

I sighed, exasperated.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"I want to," I said.

"Then be patient," he told me. "Now. Let's go walk. It will clear your head."

I got dressed slowly. It felt amazing to be in clean clothes though, I had to admit. I left my feet bare and slipped into the hallway, after looking both ways to make sure no one who might bother me was out there. I didn't feel like talking to anyone. I walked down the hallway quietly, but when I got near the hospital wing, I broke into a run. I already knew which room was his. I opened the door and stepped inside, letting it close quietly behind me.

From the doorway, I could already see that there was no one in Bakura's bed. The bed looked unmade and sort of messy. I remembered laying there with him before we'd gone to Noah's virtual world. I remembered kissing him and I remembered wishing those moments would never stop. I opened my mouth and let out a quiet gasp. It was almost a strangled sounding noise. A sob.

I walked over to the bed and laid down on it. My body was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. How could a virtual world have made me so tired? I pulled the sheets up over me and closed my eyes. They still smelled like him.


	56. Back on Track

Chapter Fifty-Six

I started to drift off, when I was interrupted by the intercom.

"ATTENTION DUELISTS. We are now back on course to Kaiba Corp Island for the conclusion of the Battle City finals."

With a sigh, I rolled onto my stomach and laid face down on the pillow, inhaling deeply. Then I stood up and shook my head in an attempt to stop thinking so much - especially about Bakura. I left the room and walked down the hall, looking for someone familiar.

I stopped outside of a slightly opened door and peeked inside. I saw Joey and Serenity.

"Hey, sis. Has Mai said a word?" asked Joey.

Serenity shook her head.

"I still can't believe Marik trapped her mind in the shadow realm," he said. There was a lot of sadness in his voice.

"You're an asshole," I thought at Marik.

"That wasn't me," he insisted. "It was a darker part of my mind that had taken over."

"You're still an asshole."

"You didn't think so last summer," he thought.

"We were in the desert. The heat had gone to my mind," I retorted.

"Sure," he chuckled.

"Come on, Mai," Joey said, quietly. "Wake up." He took her hand. "I'll save you."

"Just promise me you're going to be careful," Serenity said to Joey.

"Sure," he said. "Careful is my middle name."

I couldn't help but smile. I knew Joey well enough to know that being careful was the furthest thing from his mind pretty much all of the time.

"We should find my sister," Marik thought to me.

I nodded. "Okay," I whispered out loud. I walked quietly passed the door, careful not to disturb Joey and Serenity, and continued down the hallway until I was at Ishizu's room.

I knocked on the door, lightly.

"Come in, Olive," she said, in her quiet, breathy voice.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked. I walked over and sat next to her. She was looking out the window. She seemed very troubled.

"Sometimes I just know things," she said. She smiled a little. "Sometimes you just know things too, I believe."

I nodded.

She looked back out the window, her features growing sad again. "Olive, my brother must be saved from the evil that's controlling him," she said.

I nodded again. "I know," I said. "I'll help in anyway that I can, Ishizu."

There was a dark laugh behind us and we both turned to see Marik - or at least Marik's body - standing behind us. There was the darkest look in his eyes and an evil, twisted smile on his face.

"It's _you_," said Ishizu.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He laughed again, taking a brief second to nod at me. "I've come here to get some vital information from you concerning your friend, Odion," he said to Ishizu. "What have you done with him?"

Ishizu stood, slowly. "Nothing," she said.

"I can see through your lies!" evil-Marik snapped.

"It's true," Ishizu insisted.

"Odion has the power to stop me so you're protecting him," said evil-Marik.

"Even if I was, Marik, you're the last person I would tell," Ishizu sneered.

"Care to reconsider those words?" asked evil-Marik. "Or not." He raised his millennium rod. "Without your millennium necklace you're powerless. Were you foolish enough to lose the one thing that could have protected you from me? Not only did your millennium necklace allow you to see the future, it also shielded you from my shadow magic. So are you going to tell me where you hid Odion, or shall I send you to the shadow realm? Is this fear I see in your eyes?"

I stood up. "As long as I'm here, you're not going to touch her," I said, calmly.

"What are you going to do, Priestess?" he asked me. "You couldn't stop me from destroying your friend, Bakura. Or was he your lover?"

"He's my…Bakura," I said, not exactly sure how to answer.

"No matter," said dark Marik. "You couldn't stop me then and there is nothing you will be able to do to stop me ever. You're a fool to think you can."

I smiled. "Oh, I definitely can," I said. "You aren't an idiot. I know who you are, I know how you were raised and how you came to be. I know you studied me in ancient texts and I know you think you know who I am."

"I do know who you are," dark Marik snarled, hating that I was questioning his knowledge.

"You know who I _was_," I corrected. "Your knowledge of me stopped when I disappeared from ancient writings. You have no idea what I've become."

He smiled. "I must say, I like this side of you. Now then, I have a tournament to win. I'll deal with both of you later," he said. "You will regret hiding Odion from me, Ishizu. And you," he looked at me. "I will relish the day that you fall to your knees and swear fealty to me, witch."

"You're going to be waiting a very long time," I said.

He shook his head, turned, and walked away.

Ishizu turned to me. "Is my brother's mind still in your mind?" she asked me.

"Yes," I said.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," she said. She looked into my eyes and said, "Brother, everything is going to be set right. You will be saved."

"Tell her thank you," said Marik. "And that I'm sorry."

"He says thank you," I said to Ishizu. "He wants you to know how sorry he is."

"Tell him I know and that it's okay," said Ishizu. "But you need to be at the tournament, Olive. You need to be there to watch and support your friends." She smiled. "Go get ready. Try to enjoy yourself."

I nodded and left the room. I returned to Bakura's room. I was already dressed, but I had this compulsive desire to find something of Bakura's to keep with me - one of his shirts or jackets. Or maybe one of his duel monster cards.

"You're so sentimental," Marik thought at me.

"And let me guess," I said. "You think it's stupid and childish and a waste of my time?"

"It's nice, actually," said Marik, after a pause.

I didn't know what to say. I entered Bakura's room very quickly and it took me a minute to realize that Yugi was standing there, staring at the empty bed.

He turned to look at me.

"I'm sorry, Olive," he said. "I should have realized…I didn't realize…Do you want to be alone?"

I shook my head. "I never get to be alone," I said. "I'd be glad to have your company. What are you doing here?"

"I had Bakura's deck from…before we went to the virtual world," said Yugi. "His cards were left up on the dueling platform when he disappeared so I picked them up." He motioned to where he'd set them down on the lamp table.

"Perfect," I said. I picked up the deck and started to look through it.

"This tournament is getting too dangerous," said Yugi, quietly, staring at Bakura's empty bed. "Bakura's in the shadow realm, thanks to Marik."

"I know," I said, quietly.

"It's true," I heard Yami's voice in my head and I knew Yugi heard him too. "Everyone who has dueled Marik has paid a great price."

"I'm sure Marik's already planning his next move," said Yugi, sadly. "Why should my friends have to suffer when it's me he wants?"

"He wants _us_," Yami corrected.

I raised my hand. "I believe I'm a part of his weird plan for power somehow too," I added.

"Oh, you are," Marik confirmed, in my thoughts.

"What is he waiting for?" asked Yugi.

"I believe he's trying to weaken us using our friends, Yugi," said Yami. "He knows that to take the millennium puzzle and our Egyptian God card he must first defeat us in a duel so he's taking down our friends one by one in order to crush our confidence."

"We can't let him get away with that!" Yugi cried.

I looked up.

"You're right," I said. "We can't."

"If Marik thinks he can bully us around with his millennium rod then he'd better think again because I am going to win this tournament with the help of the spirit of the millennium puzzle," said Yugi.

"Yami," I told him.

"Right. I forgot you'd decided to nickname him," said Yugi. "With the help of Yami. Hopefully when we win, everyone who has fallen victim to Marik will be okay. I know we can do this."

"You're right," I said. "You can." I smiled at him. "You have to win this tournament. You're _going _to win this tournament and save the world."

There was a knock on the door frame and Tea, Tristan, and Duke poked their heads in.

"Hey, Yugi," said Tristan. "It's almost that time, dude. Grab your dueling deck and let's go."

"You coming Olive?" asked Tea.

"All of you pause for just one second, please," I said. I flipped through the rest of Bakura's cards until I found the one I'd been looking for. Change of Heart. His favorite. I picked it up, set the rest of the deck down, and slipped it in my pocket. Then I followed Yugi into the hallway.

"Where's Bakura, exactly?" asked Tristan, glancing at the empty bed. "He's in no shape to be out of bed."

"Yea, he was looking pretty bad," said Duke.

"He's just…uh…" I started.

"…getting some air," Yugi finished for me. "Now let's go guys! I've got some duels to win and I need your help!"

"We'll be there one hundred percent of the way," said Tea.

"For sure," Duke added.

The intercoms crackled to life. "We are now beginning our descent on Kaiba Corp Island for the conclusion of the Battle City finals. When we touch down, please exit the aircraft and await further instruction."


End file.
